Notes from a Convict's Kid
by hockeybean87
Summary: Callia Cafferey has never been one to do what she's told. So when her father is released from prison after four years of doing things her way,she's forced to deal with the new rules and people that have entered into her already crazy life.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So this is my first fic. I wrote it a while back and have finally decided to see if it was any good. Please review, I appreciate feedback. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own White Collar.**

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><p>Chapter 1: Annoying an FBI Agent<p>

Some people just think they know everything don't they?

That's the thought that's running through my head as I'm being led up the stairs to a FBI office on the landing that over sees the rest of the floor. Technically I'm being dragged by one arm, thanks to an agent who's about five times my size (how he passed the fitness portion of the job application is completely unknown). Once we make it up the landing he sets me in a very uncomfortable plastic chair, and then exits the room leaving me in an FBI agents office unsupervised. Big mistake buddy.

I immediately remove myself from the tiny chair and take a seat in the swivel, cushiony one and prop my feet up on the desk, survey the contents of the office, and take a look out of the big glass window that oversees the floor below. I find the eyes of other Bureau agents currently staring at me. I kind of hate that, I mean I know I'm pretty with my wavy dark brown hair and ice blue eyes, but come on I'm not gorgeous. Okay so I know that's not why there looking at me, but the real reason is just as annoying so yeah we'll just pretend it's the first one. I decide to shoot them all an evil glare and amazingly enough they all look away. I let out an audible laugh; these guys can handle the world's toughest criminals, but all it takes is a dirty look from a seemingly harmless fourteen year old girl to send them running for the hills.

Bored with the lack of anything interesting below I spin the chair to face the widow looking over the city. I can hear the busy commotion on the streets below and can see people running off in different directions. Man, I love New York; always something happening. "That's where I should be", I think out loud to myself. Come to think of it, why wasn't I out there?

Oh, that's right I tripped on an undone shoelace after successfully picking a pocket and ended up getting spotted, and then the guy recognized me and called the cops who in turn called the FBI. Because I'm a special case, that only he can handle. And by 'he' I mean Peter Burke, the guy who single handedly can be blamed for ruining my life (okay, maybe I'm exaggerating that a tad, but then again….).

I decide to turn back to the desk and see what I can get into there. Then just for the heck of it, I flip open the file sitting on the big oak desk in front of me and begin to peruse through it. It's pretty basic stuff; some guy stole something from a museum that was worth some value. A simple heist really that any number of criminals could perform considering the horrible security system this low end museum had to offer, but luckily for this place their thief of the night didn't have a brain and decided to walk right into the security camera. Wow, criminals sure are getting dumber. I snap the file shut and open a thicker one sitting beneath it. At the top is a heading that reads "The Dutchman". I'm about to dive into the actual contents of the file when I hear the door handle click, so I cross my arms on my chest and throw my feet back onto the table flashing the newly entered agent my charming yet devious smile.

"You're in my chair" he says stating the obvious.

"What else is new" I retort tipping the hat on my head so it covers the top of my eyes.

"Fine, take my chair, but the feet come off the desk please."

"Well since you said please, I guess I can comply" I respond to his almost plea, pulling my feet to the floor and resting my hands on the desk in front of me. Normally I wouldn't listen to him, but my dad always said politeness is the key to getting what you want. And my dad is a very smart man.

"Now what?" I ask the very aggravated agent in my sweetest voice.

He sighs and sits in the chair I occupied when I was first brought in here and looks up at the smile that has returned to my face due to my current victory.

"You know we don't have to do this" I start, "You could just give me a pat on the back and send me on my way."

Another sigh.

"Well considering the mess I'm in because of you, I sort of think we do" he says blankly, running his hands through his hair.

I knew that would be too easy. Oh well, looks like we'll have to do it the hard way.

"And what mess would that be Peter" I ask ever so innocently.

"First of all it's Agent Burke to you Callia, and second don't play innocent with me here. You know exactly what you did and we are going to sit here until we work this out" He declares firmly as he leans forward, finally starting to act like an agent. Perfect now the fun can really start.

I smile deviously and lean forward so my face is only mere inches from his. "First of all, it's Callen we've been over that like a thousand times and second there could be a thousand things I've done that you could be referring to so you're going to have to be more specific."

I'm starting to enjoy this. Normally I'd hate to be interrogated but me and Peter go way back so I'm basically safe.

"You ran away Callia."

"Callen, say it with me Call en Callen and what's your point?"

"This is serious. Twenty-nine times in two months. That's not good."

"I really don't see what the big deal is; I mean you found me every time right."

"Only cause your letting me catch you."

I raise my eyebrows at him and let out a snort. He has got to be kidding; the last thing I would want is to get caught so they can send me back to anther foster home. It might as well be prison. There some irony in that statement.

"First off, try not to flatter yourself too much. And second, you're a lunatic" I respond back coolly.

"Look at the facts, you're not very good."

"Really because last I checked, it was two years before you got ahold of me the first time" I tell him matter of factly.

"Look who's flattering themselves now" he says rolling his eyes and leaning back in his char.

"It's not flattery if it's a fact" I tell him shrugging my shoulders and letting myself fall back into the comfort of the chair.

"You still got caught" he mocks.

"Well fine. Say what you will, but I do not want to get caught just for some stupid reason I keep making rookie mistakes." That statement comes out almost as a shout, but I restrain it because I'm enjoying having someone to banter with.

"Look, I get it your upset or annoyed or whatever, but that doesn't mean that you can keep running away and that definitely doesn't make it alright to try and pick people's pockets for money." Apparently we've gone back to being agitated.

"What do you mean by try?" I ask, and I'm a little stunned honestly, I mean come on-has this guy seen my file, "I'm a savant at pocket picking and you know it."

It's a fact and he does know it. Generally that's not something a kid would be proud of but when you're me, and you have a dad like mine, it's definitely something to be proud of. Let's just get one thing straight though, I'm not a criminal. Not technically anyways; just a very hungry kid who knows how to get money by means other than holding out a tiny tin cup and begging.

Although I suppose I have done some criminal esq things…..

"Yeah that's one trait I wish your dad hadn't passed on, then again you probably would've figured it out by yourself" he states more to himself then to me.

"Now there's a statement I'll agree with you on" I say smiling.

He rolls his eyes. "Are you trying to upstage him?"

"What?" I ask as I feign innocence. "First off, he can never be upstaged. He is hands down the greatest. And two, picking pockets and running some innocent street cons isn't even comparable to his alleged work" I say, throwing the alleged part in there because there's no real proof my father has done any of the things he's accused of.

Of course I know differently, but we're not going to share that tidbit with the FBI. I'm not that dumb.

"You just admitted to committing crime" Peter says leaning forward and smiling at me.

I reach over and pat his hand. "The statue of limitations prevents you from processing crimes committed by a minor. And last I checked I was in elementary school when these accusations were made. Oh and I'm still a minor for like four more years so… But you get Brownie Points for a decent attempt."

I lean back in the chair I give him my most charming smile.

"Your dad make you read the FBI hand book?" he asks with irritation in his voice.

"Nope, I did that one by myself. Smart right?" I respond, my smile growing.

Cue another eye roll. If he keeps doing that his eyes might never stop rolling.

"You talked to him lately."

Dang it Peter, why'd you have to go there? It was just starting to get good.

"Not in a while, I mean we write and stuff but I haven't actually visited or spoken to him since….." I trail off, not really wanting to hear the end of that sentence; unfortunately Peter finishes it for me.

"Since Kate left you guys."

"Something like that" I say sheepishly. I mentally curse myself for sounding like a scared little kid. I'm supposed to be confident, cool, and cocky. Not a big cry baby.

I look at Peter who's looking at me now with concern and guilt. He's worried about me and my younger siblings because we're so unpredictable and were just little kids really. Plus whenever one of us lands in his office (although usually it's me), he gets that look on his face that he did something wrong, like he's the cause of all our pain. Technically he did assist in it, but he still shouldn't have to feel that way.

I hate it when he looks at me like that. It makes me feel weak, something I am not. I also hate him for making me feel guilty for him. I mean come on he's a fed.

"Alright, come on" he says after an awkward silence as he stands up and walks over to where I'm sitting. "I'll tell you what's gonna happen. I'm going to get a team to gather the rest of the mini Caffrey's and then you are all coming to stay with me and El for now, because I am sick of having to find you kids every three days or so because you decided that the foster family you got was boring or smelly or whatever other 29 excuses you evil geniuses have come up with in the last two months. And I'm also getting tired of the paper work."

Now it's my turn to roll my eyes.

"Good, I'll take that as a yes. Now let's go, I'm starving."

"What makes you think I'd willingly get into an FBI agents car?" I ask curious as to what he's planning.

"Because I have good food and a place where you can sleep" he says as though it's obvious.

I look at him skeptically.

"Look, stay for the night and if you don't like it your free to pick your next foster home yourself" he says growing agitated by the minute.

I'm still feeling a little paranoid, but that's probably just my crazy uncle's conspiracy ideas growing on me.

I decide that Peter's decent enough for now and that I'm too hungry to pass up free food, so I grab my backpack full of my run away needs (three changes of clothes, granola bars, some money, and my stuffed dog Sparky) and head out the door and to the elevator, not waiting for Peter. I do at least yell over my shoulder that I'll meet him in the lobby, because like I said politeness is key (even if you don't like that person). And although I could easily take off, I don't because who would be crazy to skip out on free food. Especially if you haven't eaten real food in like two days.

Okay, so I realize that I should probably fill in the gaps for you people because that conversation was kinda vague on specific details of my ever so thrilling life. For starters, my name is Callia Alexis Caffrey, but people call me Callen because Callia sounds like a girly girls name and anyone who knows me knows that that so doesn't work. So Callen it is, and it works because it's still my name, just more awesome.

Secondly, I'm fourteen and the oldest in the family. I came about when my dad decided to be stupid and have a kid at eighteen with some random girl. Anyway she left about two days after I was born and never returned. I don't even know what she looks like, let alone her name. Not that I care though because as far as I'm concerned I'm all my dad. Same dark hair, same bright blue eyes, same face, walk, talk and smile, even have the same, let's call them hobbies (although mine are a little less refined). There is no doubt that I'm Neal Caffrey's daughter. And I totally love it. Although if you ask Peter, he'd say it wasn't such a good thing.

My dad's about the best con artist to currently walk the face of the earth. He's a master schemer, forger, liar, thief and whatever else you can put into the category of world class criminal. Unfortunately, my dad's a die-hard romantic which shouldn't be a bad thing but in his case it's what ended his unstained career. Yup, my dad got arrested by dear old Agent Peter Burke for bond forgery he committed almost three years prior because he couldn't let Kate go (Kate's the girl, in case you missed that). What an idiot. Give up an exciting career full of utter freedom, for some girl. To be honest I've never liked Kate. She and dad met while he was trying to run some long con and he sort of fell head over heels. Whatever, it's his love life.

Anyway there are two things I particularly dislike about her, one being the fact that she took attention away from me because dad was always trying to do things to make her happy; and she was kind of bossy. It was like she turned him into some sort of zombie who followed its leader.

Okay, maybe it wasn't that bad but hey I was just a kid.

The other actually didn't come up until just before dad took a job with an old friend of his. See after they both lost the jobs that they had had, dad taught Kate everything he knew about being a con. She got really good really fast and then when dad tried to con her into going to Copenhagen with him, she broke up with him and left. And she didn't just move out, she disappeared. It actually took an FBI tip for dad to find her. To me, these events are evidence that she was just using dad to further herself and didn't really love him.

I like to think my hunch was confirmed because two years after he got arrested she left me and my five year old brother Braden (the only thing I will ever like about that evil woman since he's her and my dad's kid)in the foster care system.

Of course there was no way I was going to be raised by someone else, so on our first night at the home I grabbed our bags and drug a twelve year old me and Braden as far away as I could. I spent approximately the next two years using the skills my dad had taught me to take care of me and my little brother. It was mostly simple stuff like picking pockets or running simple street cons, never anything elaborate that could get us caught.

To be honest we were doing really well. I got us a decent abandoned apartment and would still write to dad saying that life with Kate was great since she never told him she dumped us even though she still visited him. She lied to him, another reason I hate her. He never knew we disappeared because no one actually knew we were missing. The house we were in had lots of kids and if the paper work didn't exist, neither did the kids.

The slip up was when I tried to pick a pocket that turned out to be Peter's. He recognized me and took me and Braden back to child services where we were placed in a home that already had a four year old little girl staying there. Her name was Gabriella and I knew after five minutes of talking to her that she was a Caffrey. She had dad's blue eyes and his signature smile. The only difference was her curly auburn hair. That night I dug up all the info I could on her and found that she was born nine months after the job dad took in Copenhagen and her full name was Gabriella Elise Hunter; the same last name as the girl dad ran the con with who he also had a thing for. She was definitely a Caffrey. I also found out she had a twin, but he was no where I could find. So for the past two months, me and the two of them would run away to find the missing twin, get caught and put into another home to start the pattern again.

At the same time we found Gabby, Kate broke up with dad, told him we were gone and disappeared. Figures, she learned from the best.

I really hate that woman.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: A Night with the Burke's

"Stop touching that" Peter says grouchily as he slaps my hand away from the radio.

I shoot him an evil glare. "But the Yankees are losing, do you really want to listen to them get their butts kicked."

"It's only the fifth inning, they can still come back" he says hopefully.

"Peter please, their down by ten and haven't been able to get past first yet. Face it, they're having an off day" I retort and again change the station. "And yes, I'm calling you Peter."

He grunts and changes it back. "How do you not have any faith in your home team?" he asks then.

"Because their batting right now is horrible, besides I've never seen a real game so I'm not that interested" I say flipping the station again.

He slams on the brakes before we hit the stopped car in front of us. "Wait, you've never seen a game?"

"No I haven't and watch the driving fed, I'd like to be at my next birthday if you don't mind" I say rolling my eyes.

"Come on, every kid who grew up in New York has been to at least on Yankees game" he says, choosing to ignore the fed comment and looking at me shocked.

"It's not my fault that my dad is the least athletic man on the face of the earth, and didn't I just say eyes on the road" I shout as he almost hits yet another car. Man this guy can't drive.

"So the great Neal Caffrey isn't good at everything" Peter says smirking.

"No, the man can paint like the greats of the renaissance and sweet talk his way out of any situation, but ask him to throw a football or shoot a basket and he looks like a two year old. Maybe worse" I say laughing slightly. It's kind of funny really that one of the best criminals of his time is completely athletically inept. Except running, he's actually really fast.

"Are you bad at sports too?" he asks, his curiosity clearly getting the better of him.

"Peter, I will never deny that me and him are alike in more ways than you could probably count, but there are exactly two things that we are polar opposites on" I say looking out the window.

"What's that?" he asks as we pull onto a street lined with houses.

"I cannot draw for the life of me, and I could easily beat you at any sport you can think of" I say smugly as the car comes to a stop.

"Some time I might have to test that theory" Peter says smiling. "And we're here."

I look out the window and see that we're in a nice neighborhood and the houses are all crammed one right on top of the other. It's just outside the city and is a little too suburban for my liking, but it looks safe.

Peter climbs out of the car and motions for me to do the same. I follow him to the house that is apparently his and wait as he inserts the key into the door and turns the handle. This is stupid, what the heck am I thinking? Willingly walking into a feds house, that's crazy. I should run while I have the chance. It wouldn't be that hard, Peter's got his back turned and I'm probably faster.

I turn slightly to take a step towards freedom.

"You coming?" I hear Peter say and stop dead in my tracks.

"You know what I think I'll just take off. Thanks for the ride though" I say beginning to back down the steps.

"Come on, it'll be fine I promise." He grabs my arm and guides me into the house.

The second we're inside I rip my arm from his grasp and glare at him. When we're done with our staring contest I begin to look around the place.

It's beautiful. Looking around I can see stairs straight ahead of me. There's a living room to the right and beyond that is the dining room with a swinging door that most likely leads to the kitchen. It's like a perfect little home. As I lean forward to try to get a better look, a tall dark haired women with blue eyes, who strikingly enough resembles an older image of Kate, exits through the door with an auburn haired little girl running behind her.

"Callen" the little girl yells jumping into my arms. "I missed you sooooo much."

"I missed you to Gabstopper" I say lifting her up. I haven't seen her or Braden the past few days because I left her at the foster home so me and Braden could run a decently making score. The con went off without a hitch, but our getaway went south and the two of us got separated.

"You must clearly be Callen." I hear the women, who I have now assumed to be Elizabeth, say. I've heard about her before, but this is the first time I've actually met her. And even though she looks like Kate I already like her so much more.

I set Gabby down on the floor and turn to my wonderful host.

"And you must be the wonderful Elizabeth Peter's always speaking so highly about" I say in my most charming and flattering tone. Peter just rolls his eyes knowing very well that this is another inherited trait from my father; we Caffrey's have a way of charming everyone we meet.

Elizabeth's smiles and lets out what has to be the most beautiful laugh I've ever heard (how Peter got her is another unsolved mystery for my shelf). "Thank you sweetie."

"You're welcome" I respond. "Your house is beautiful too."

"I'm glad you like it" she says smiling.

Okay, what on earth did she see in Peter because she's so nice and he's so annoying.

"Alright, let's quit crowding the door and go sit down for diner" she directs, moving Gabby towards the newly set table. "Your brother should be here shortly."

"She already likes me" I whisper to Peter who just rolls his eyes.

I punch him in the arm. "What was that for?" he asks.

"For not being as nice as your wife" I reply and follow her to the table as we hear the doorbell ring and Peter goes to answer it.

"Jones, mini-Neal" Peter says with a nod ignoring me and rubbing the spot on his arm that is sure to bruise. To his credit, he didn't wince.

"Uh Peter, you wanted this one." The agent, Jones, says holding my eight year old brother by the collar and dragging him front and center. "Found 'em trying to steal some food from a gas station."

"Thanks Jones I'll handle it from here. Go get some rest." Peter says glaring at the culprit. He closes the door behind the agent and looks back at my smiling brother.

"Braden" Peter says sternly.

"Peter" he responds before talking a seat next to me at the table.

I slap him on the head when Elizabeth is turned around. "You got caught."

"Apparently so did you" he says flatly.

"Touché."

Even with my back turned I can practically hear Peter roll his eyes.

…...

Diner with the Burke's turned out to be not all that bad. Elizabeth has to be the best cook I've ever known. We spent most of the night talking about random things, our likes and dislikes. It was nice for once to have normal conversations with adults who didn't look at you with pity, or like you were a delinquent. We didn't have to answer any questions about foster care or dad or you know who. Nope, we got to talk all about us. How often does a kid get to do that?

Diner with the Burke's turned out to be not all that bad. Elizabeth has to be the best cook I've ever known. We spent most of the night talking about random things, our likes and dislikes. It was nice for once to have normal conversations with adults who didn't look at you with pity, or like you were a delinquent (well at least Elizabeth didn't, Peter still looked skeptical). We didn't have to answer any questions about foster care or dad or you know who. Nope, we got to talk all about us. How often does a kid get to do that?

The only bad thing was that Peter came up with some 'rules' we had to follow. Like no more picking pockets or running. As in, no leaving the house without someone knowing where we're going. After he finished I reminded him that he said we didn't have to stay, but he said that he changed his mind.

He has a matching bruise on his shin to go with the one on his arm.

When Elizabeth went to get dessert and the littler two went to help, I kicked Peter.

"How many times do you plan on doing that?" he asks grabbing his knee.

"Grow up, it wasn't that hard" I say rolling my eyes. "Besides I needed to get your attention." I whisper the last part.

"Did you ever think to say 'hey Peter can we talk'" he says grouchily.

I shrug my shoulders, "Not as fun."

He pinches his nose "What do you want?"

"I've been looking the last two months, and can't find Gabby's twin anywhere" I tell him. I can't believe that from everything that I know I somehow cannot manage to track down a four year old.

"Ah, you mean Grayson" he says smiling because I need his help.

"Yes Grayson" I say ignoring his look.

"All right I'll see what I can do" he says more seriously.

We sit there for a minute staring at each other. And then Peter opens his mouth.

"Does your dad know he's got two more kids waiting for him?"

"Not that I know of. I mean I didn't tell him" I say as Elizabeth walks back in the room.

"Doesn't know what" Elizabeth asks as she dishes out the delicious smelling apple pie.

"Neal doesn't know about the twins" Peter tells her. I glare at him.

"Why not?" Elizabeth asks confused.

"I thought it would be a nice surprise for him when he's out in two months" I say digging into my pie.

"Do you think that's fair to him?" she asks.

"Elizabeth, do you have any advice on how to tell your prison bound father that in his absence he wound up with two more kids" I ask waiting for her response.

We all sit there in silence (except Gabby who's singing the alphabet song quietly to herself) waiting for her answer.

She ponders this for a minute and then says "I guess it doesn't really matter how you tell him because it'll be hard either way. But I suggest not waiting till he meets them to tell him."

I know she's right and I was going to tell him when first found out, but then the whole Kate dumping him thing happened and I figured he didn't need any more to deal with. But he's out in two months so I'm going to have to tell him soon.

"I'll tell him when we find Grayson" I finally answer.

"That sounds fair, now eat your dessert" she says smiling again.

And for once I do as I'm told.

After diner Peter showed me to my room for the time being while Elizabeth got the little kids ready for bed. The room is a decent size. It's got two windows on the wall across from the door, a bed against the wall to the left and a desk and closet on the wall across from that. Elizabeth came in a while later and said that she would take all of us shopping for some things to brighten up the rooms tomorrow, which I told her she didn't have to do but she insisted. She also mentioned that we'd have to clean out the attic on the third level and one of the other smaller rooms to make room for everyone, but for now Gabby is allowed to stay on the floor in her' and Peter's room (so I could have some space for myself which I greatly appreciated) and Braden would have to do with the couch. She really is the nicest person in the world.

I might actually hang here for a while.

Once she left, I headed to the bathroom to take a shower since I hadn't had one in four days (the only true down side to running) and now about a half hour later am back in my room staring at the celling with Sammy in my arms. I love that stuffed animal. My dad gave him to me for my third birthday as a sort of promise that even when he wasn't there, he'd always be there. He really was an amazing dad. Man I miss him.

Most people look at my father and think he's a screw up because he's a criminal for a living and had a kid so young. People constantly looked at me and Braden with pity, thinking we must have had a horrible life and that our dad must be mean for making us live like that. But honestly their comparing him to a stereotype, and anyone who has met my dad, I mean really met my dad, knows that he is about the farthest thing from stereotypical. I mean the man is a walking contradiction, it's just who he is. Unlike most criminals, he's neat. Hates messes, blood and guts, flinches at the sight of a gun and is completely freaked out by them, honestly he tries to avoid violence all together.

He doesn't dress or act criminal either. He's polite and likes to where nice clothes. It's a little weird, but it's totally him and I wouldn't have it any other way. Plus he is an amazing dad, more like your best friend than an authority figure. He could always make me laugh and he used to take me places around the city. When I got sick, he was calm and kept a constant watch on me. If I had a nightmare, he would come and carry me back to his room and hold me the rest of the night to make sure I felt safe. If I scraped a knee or fell of my bike, he was there. I had a few panic attacks when I was really little because I'd get worked up and worry about everything he did and then start talking really fast until I passed out. And even then he would hold me till I told him it was alright to let go. He also never yelled. Not that I never got into to trouble or anything, because it's practically my middle name, he would just always stay calm and handle it in a way that somehow made us never want to hate him.

Even today, after all that's happened I still don't hate him. Sure I've thought it, but never actually meant it. My dad is a lot of things, but a bad dad is so not one of them.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Always Have an Escape Route

Three days later I'm sitting at the Burke's dining room table teaching Gabby and Elizabeth how to do a simple card trick called 'find the lady', while Braden's watching cartoons in the adjoining living room.

"Okay Gabby I'm gonna go a little faster this time so try and keep up" I tell the four year old leaning over me eagerly. She really likes this game.

I shuffle the three cards slower than normal and can tell she's watching them closely. I stop after thirty seconds, "Which one's the queen?"

She looks at the cards carefully and wrinkles her nose. "That one" she finally says pointing at the one in the middle.

I flip the card over to reveal the three of spades.

"But that was right, I know it was" she says gasping. She looks over at Elizabeth who suggests trying another one.

"That one" Gabby says pointing to the first one in the line.

I flip it over. "Ace of hearts."

Her eyes get really wide and she flips over the last card. It's the seven of hearts.

"Callen where is it" she says confused. Elizabeth looks just as confused.

"I don't know" I say shrugging my shoulders.

She starts looking under the table but stops when she hears Braden laughing.

"Braden it's not funny, where'd it go" she says searching frantically.

I start laughing too and Braden comes over, stands next to me, and pulls the card from the sleeve of my jacket.

Gabby's eyes go wide. "That's not fair, how'd you do it" she asks accusing and interested all at once.

"Here we'll show" Braden says taking a seat at the table and grabbing for the cards. Just then Elizabeth's cell phone rings.

"I'm going to take this but when I get back you two better show me that trick" she says as she moves into the kitchen to answer her phone.

"Okay Gabbs so first off, the queen never goes as one of the three cards" Braden says laying three on the table.

I'm about to tell her the next step when Elizabeth walks back in the room.

"Callen, Peter wants to talk to you" she says handing me the phone.

I take the phone from her and walk into the kitchen. "Peter you better have found Grayson because I've been waiting three days and so far you've got no farther than I have."

"Not yet" he says and I can tell he's distracted by something.

"Then what do you want" I ask slightly confused. Me and Peter are barely talking when he's at home, so why would he call me on his lunch break. Unless….

"Peter where's my dad?"

He pauses for a few seconds and then with a sigh says "Well actually I was hoping you could tell me"

"What happened?" I ask cautiously, even though I already have a good idea.

I can hear Peter sigh, "He broke out a few hours ago, hot-wired a car from the parking lot and left."

To say I'm mad my dad escaped from prison with two months left would be an understatement. Still I can't help but feel slightly proud my dad beat the supermax security system.

"Do you have any idea where he might be?" I hear Peter ask, bringing me from my thoughts.

"Are you asking me to sell him out?" I ask trying to sound as normal as possible.

"Callia now is not the time to play games. If you know where he is you have to tell me."

"Peter he's not here, other than that I don't know anything" I lie. I have a pretty good idea where he is. I mean his girlfriend did just dump him. If I were Peter I'd check the apartment. But again, the FBI doesn't need to know everything.

"Okay" he says skeptically, "but if you know anything call me back."

"Sure thing, bye Peter" I say and slam the phone shut. I take a minute to try and recompose myself. How could he be such an idiot? He's gonna get more for this if they catch him.

I slam my fist into the counter. He ran for Kate. Not his kids. Kate.

Nice to know who's first on his priority list.

"Callen sweetie, you okay?" I hear Elizabeth ask gently from the doorway.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just gonna go upstairs for a bit if that's okay" I say grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and moving towards the door.

"Sure, just let me know if you need anything" she says and I can tell she's a little unsure, but I flash my winning smile and run up stairs.

As soon as I reach my room I jump on my bed and scream into my pillow. Why did he have to do this? I stand up and grab the pillows off the bed whipping them through the room. I can't believe he ran. He's definitely going to get more years for this, who knows how many.

And that's if he gets caught.

And if he doesn't? What if he finds Kate and they leave? What if he doesn't but runs anyways? For a second I want him to get caught, if I can't have him then no one can.

"Whoa Callen, you shouldn't think like that" a tiny voice in my head says.

"And why not?" I ask in return.

"Because he's your dad and you should just want him to be happy" the voice responds.

"Yeah but shouldn't I get to be happy too!"

The voice apparently doesn't know how to answer, so instead I clean up the mess I made from my little tantrum and take a deep breath.

Now that that's done with, I decide I should try and intercept dad so I can talk to him. I have to work fast though, because Peter's not as dumb as I wish he was. I stuff Sammy into my already packed backpack and add the water I just got. Next I check the windows. I slide one open and knot some of my T-shirts and blankets together until the rope is just above the ground. Tying an end to the bed post I throw my backpack out the window and climb the rope down.

Once I hit the ground I start running in the direction of the apartment. After a while I find myself standing in front of the place I called home for most of my childhood. I notice there are a few cars driving away and wonder if I'm too late. Walking in the first thing I notice are the footprints lying in the freshly disturbed dust. So clearly someone was here today and judging by the number of footprints, it was more than one person.

I'm late. Curse you Peter for having a brain.

It took me longer to get here than I thought it would. But I was right dad was here, he was probably leaning against the beam looking out the window based on the lack of dust in a big circle around that spot.

That means the other prints belong to the FBI, the Marshals and most likely a few of them are Peter's.

So dad's back in prison, not that I didn't already guess that. I inhale sharply and sit on the counter, which is about the only thing left in the cleared out space. Looking around at the old place, I'm flooded with memories. All happy, and all of me and dad.

Just like that I start crying. I hate this feeling. I don't cry, ever. But now I can't stop.

I'm not really sure how long I'm like this, but it must have been a good few hours due to the current lack of sunlight. I have never cried this long before, ever. At least it had been brought down to a sniffle when I hear the door creak open.

It's Peter.

"I thought we agreed no more running" he says taking a seat next to me.

"I got bored" I shrug, wiping my eyes.

"Yeah well apparently you're not the only one" he says looking at the apartment.

I laugh off his comment. "This is your second time here today isn't it."

"Yup" he says flicking a piece of wood from a broken cabinet.

"You like it?" I ask trying to save some of my dignity.

"It certainly is spacious." He's referring to the lack of anything in the space.

"Yeah, could use some better lighting too don't you think" I say flipping the switch by the sink that doesn't work. I continue flipping the switch, trying to avoid looking at him.

He grabs my hand to make me stop. "Callen"

I stop and stare at him.

"What?" he asks in response to my look.

"You called me Callen"

"Yeah" he says kind of awkwardly. "Can we go home, I'm hungry"

I sit there for a second and then start laughing. It feels good to laugh after the day I've had.

"Come on Agent Burke wouldn't want you to starve." I hop off the counter, grab my backpack and take a last look around.

We both head down to the car and sit in total silence on the way back.

I'm completely angry with Peter right now for arresting my dad, but he was only doing his job and I can't really be mad at him for that. Besides, at least he appears to care.

When we get back to his house, I walk straight up the stairs and towards the bathroom. I let the cold water run over me trying to calm my nerves and wrap my head around things, but the only thought running through my head is "How could my own father, whose completely brilliant, be so stupid?"

An hour after I get myself cleaned up and make sure my emotions are back in place, I make my way down the stairs to get more answers. Stopping at the bottom I can see Peter sitting on the couch beer in hand watching a prerecorded Yankees game.

He looks up to see me standing there and mutes the TV before patting the seat on the couch next to him. I walk in to the room and take a seat on the chair that's across from couch. I hear Peter let out a small laugh probably from relief that he doesn't have to deal with tears.

"Well, you gonna fill me in or just sit there?" I begin cutting straight to the point.

He looks at me serious now. "We found him."

"No really Sherlock, I think we've already established that" I say sarcastically.

"Callia" he warns.

"Save it Peter. I know that you caught him and dragged him back to prison. What I want to know is where we go from here." I take deep calming breaths.

"And for the thousandth time it's Callen. You know with an _en _not on _a_."

Peter rolls his eyes.

"What do you want to know?" he finally asks.

"How many years did he get?" I'm not really sure if I want to know or not, because no matter what I won't like it.

"Four" he says simple taking a sip of his drink.

Awesome. This is just great.

I try not to show how disappointed I am when I ask, "So what happens to us?"

Unlike the last one I actually want that question answered.

He shrugs. "You guys can stay here."

"You're going to keep us for four years? " I ask disbelief evident in my voice. Why would he want to keep a bunch of misfit kids for that long? Wait…

"Elizabeth" I say laughing now.

He laughs too. "She's apparently grown attached."

"And you're okay with that?" I ask smiling.

"Well I'm certainly done playing cat and mouse with you Caffrey's"

He's referring to the three years he spent chasing down my dad which I can safely assume probably wasn't that fun. And considering the torment I've already caused him with my runaways it's a good idea for him to want to keep us under his roof.

"I guess it'll make your life a bit easier right?" I say smiling since we both know that's probably false.

"I have little hope"

We laugh a little more and I stand to head back upstairs not wanting to discuss anything else but stop when I hear him say "I'm meeting him in one week."

"Why?"

"He gave me some info on a case in exchange for a meeting. I don't know what he wants, but I want you to come with me."

I'm hesitant about it, but decide I'm too tired right now to argue.

"Find Grayson first, then we can talk about it" I say dashing up the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hey, thanks to everyone who has read/reviewed this. I really do appreaciate all the feedback. This chapters kinda short but I promise to post soon. Thanks again! OH, and I don't own White Collar.**

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><p>Chapter 4: May You Find What You're Looking For<p>

I roll over and stuff my head under my pillow and pulling the blankets up around me.

I listen for the sound of footsteps retreating, but don't hear any.

This guy doesn't quit. "Go Away" I mumble into my mattress.

"Not until you get up" he says from the doorway.

"Well Peter then you're going to be here for a very long time" I say lifting my head up enough to see his face before dropping it again onto the bed.

"Up Now" he says clearly irritated.

I pull on the pillow so it covers my ears. "Give me one good reason."

"Because I said so" he says. I can tell he's growing more impatient by the minute.

I sit up and look at him. "That's not a god enough reason. You're not my parent; I don't have to listen to you."

I know I could be a little bit nicer, but I'm still mad he put my dad back in prison. Plus, I'm enjoying the look of pure frustration he's giving me right now.

"But your living under my roof so you do have to listen to me" he replies grouchily.

"Are you going to kick me out if I don't" I ask raising my eyebrows.

Some might say that interrogating a con artist is the hardest conversation one could have. Others would say teenagers are twenty times worse. Peter would win by saying starting an argument with a teen who also happens to be a con artist is an argument that cannot be won.

He runs his hands over his face, signaling his defeat.

I flop back onto my pillow content.

As soon as I close my eyes though, he starts talking again.

"It's after two thirty, you can't seriously plan on staying hear all day"

I sigh annoyed into my pillow. "I do plan on it and why are you even here?"

"Because I had a surprise for you" he says nonchalantly.

I shoot up right and look at him. "Like what?" I ask suspiciously.

"Nothing it doesn't matter anymore" he says looking at the pictures Elizabeth helped me hang on the wall.

I throw my pillow at him.

He ignores it like it never even hit him. "It was really good too" he says evasively.

I roll my eyes annoyed that he won't tell me and even more annoyed he won't leave.

"You would've liked it too" He's still not leaving.

I sigh realizing I'm going to have to get up to make him go away. That and I sort of want to know what this surprise is.

"Where is it" I ask him.

He smiles knowing he finally won. "Downstairs"

I pull the hood of my sweatshirt up over my head and stand. "Fine, if I go see what your stupid surprise is, will you leave me alone."

"Yup" he says motioning towards the door.

I roll my eyes and tiredly drag myself down the stairs. If he's lying about this, there's going to be a murder investigation on the desk of some unlucky agent.

I slowly stumble down the last few stairs and stop at the bottom just before entering the living room. The sight that meets my eyes makes me blink twice.

Sitting on the floor in the living room is Braden and a very happy looking Gabby talking and laughing with a little boy. The boy has dark curly hair and when he looks up in my direction, I'm met with his ice blue eyes and a charming smile.

"Grayson" I whisper scared that if I say his name to loud he'll disappear.

"Glad you got out of bed huh?" Peter says slapping me hard on the shoulder and moving around me to sit next to Elizabeth on the couch.

Gabby comes running over to me and begins pulling on my hand.

"Callen look, I have a twin" she says excitedly and I let her drag me to the floor where my brothers are sitting. Brothers, I have two brothers. Peter actually found him.

I sit down next to Gabby and look at Grayson, who's smiling brightly.

"Hi, I'm Grayson. You're Callen right?" he says still smiling and sounding way more mature than four.

"Uh, yeah" I say finally finding my voice.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Gabby told me a lot about you." Wow, he sounds just like dad, only littler.

I can't help it. I start laughing and scoop him into a hug which he reciprocates. Then I reach out and grab Brady and Gabbs pulling them into a hug too, happy to have all my siblings here.

I look over the top of my head and mouth the words thank you to Peter, who just nods and returns to hugging Elizabeth who is crying.

I let my three (THREEE!) siblings go and look at Grayson. He's still smiling.

"Welcome home buddy" I say ruffling his hair and pulling him into another hug.

…...

I spent the rest of the afternoon listening to Grayson talk about anything he could think of. I was glad to see him and Gabby get along so well and Braden started telling him all the things he was going to teach him. He was probably happy to finally have a brother.

I was content just watching them and felt twenty times better than I did after yesterday's incident. Everything was finally starting to seem okay.

Then Peter sat down.

"Cute kid" he says opening his soda.

"Yeah, he looks a lot like dad too" I say opening the soda Peter handed me.

"He certainly does" Peter says watching the reacquainted twins run around the back yard playing tag.

"Speaking of your dad….."

And there it is. The conversation starter I never want to hear.

"What about him" I say reluctantly.

"You're coming to the meeting" he says gulping down his drink.

"I said we'd talk about, not that I would come" I state taking a sip of my own drink.

"Oh, you're coming" he says not glancing at me. "And you're telling him about those two."

I look over at him and notice he's gone back to watching the twins. "I don't think so."

"Well, I do and it's final." He finishes off his soda and stands to go back into the house.

I open my mouth to say something, but find that I can't come up with a single rebuttal.

So much for priding myself on being able to get out of a situation.

...

As expected the next week sucked. I tried over and over to come up with a way to explain to my dad that he had two more kids but every time I came up with something, I ended up throwing the crumpled up paper away. After days of driving myself insane, I gave up and tried to find other ways to occupy my time.

I thought of escape plans my dad had possibly used, escape plans I could use, what the heck my dad and Peter were going to talk about, and whole bunch of other random thoughts. I took Grayson and Gabby to the park, tried to help Braden teach Grays how to throw a baseball, and spent hours kicking a soccer ball at the garage.

I also spent a lot of time playing with Satchmo, the Burke's dog who had been at doggie training camp when we got here last week. I love him so much, but then again I love just about every dog I meet. I always wanted one when I was little but dad always said it would be too big a hassle and he didn't want to have to pick up after it. At least that's what he said, but we all know the real reason was because we were constantly moving about to prevent my dad from getting caught. (HA, look how that turned out.)Then again, he was probably right considering Satchmo already ate part of my backpack; thank goodness Sammy wasn't in there.

Finally I tried to waste more time flipping through old family photos, but since Kate was in most of them, they got kind of irritating after a while. I slammed the album shut and tossed it on the bed next to me harder than I should have.

One of the pictures must have been loose because it falls out and lands on the floor in front of me. I bend down to pick it up; I was actually just going to put it back when something caught my eye.

It's a clumsily taken photo by a then six year old me. It's of two people standing in front of the Library of Congress in D.C. with smiles on their faces (well actually only the one is smiling, the other looks like he's paranoid). I can't help but smile at that stupid picture. The smiling person in the picture is my dad with that stupid boyish grin plastered on his face, and the other is my dad's best friend and my favorite paranoid, conspiracy believing uncle, Mozzie.

Come to think of it, where is Mozzie? He's not really our uncle, but he's the closest thing to family my dad has and I've known him since I was six. So why hadn't I seen him since in a while?

Last time I saw him was a week before Peter caught us. He had been checking up on me and Braden once a month to make sure we were doing okay but would then disappear again. I wonder where he is now.

I put the photo back, go downstairs, and after asking Elizabeth if I can use the computer, begin to do my research pulling up anything I could find and racking my brain for details that could be useful. Four hours later and I still have nothing. Why can't my dad have a friend that's actually listed in the phone book? Is that too much to ask? I mean normal kids can just go through their cell phone contacts to find their relatives but no, that's just not an option.

Just then Peter walks through the door. I look at the clock on the screen, it's only a little after one. What's Peter doing home so early? I look back at the screen and see the day of the week in the bottom corner.

It's been one week. I completely forgot; the meetings today.

"You ready kid?" Peter asks from the foyer with an expectant look on his face.

Sour Grapes


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for the Reviews! I really appreciate it! **

**Disclaimer: White Collar is not mine. **

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><p>Chapter 5: Always Lie Because the Truth Hurts<p>

"I said I didn't want to come."

"I don't really care, you need to tell him" Peter repeats for the hundredth time in the last 45 minutes we spent in the car driving over here.

I'm about to ask if I can just write my dad a letter when Peter adds, "You're doing it in person."

I shoot him an evil glare as he parks the car in front of the supermax prison.

Peter climbs out of the car and comes around to open my door. "Come on."

I stare him down, challenging him to make me get out. After a minute of this he reaches in to grab my arm. I push past him before he can drag me and take to sulking behind the agent while still trying to get out of this awful situation.

Stomach ache, twist an ankle, run in the opposite direction? Come on Callen you should be a pro at this, think. When we enter the building Peter walks up the desk and lets the officer know why we're here. I stand there completely oblivious to the conversation, still trying to escape, but when the officer gets up from his seat to show us where to go, I decide it's now or never.

I bolt.

I can hear Peter telling the guard to hold on as he runs after me. I push open the heavy doors that lead outside letting the warm late July breeze hit my face. I lean forward and put my hands on my knees taking deep breaths. I'm so focused on trying to not ramble until I pass out that I don't hear Peter come up behind me, causing me to jump when he puts his hand on my back.

"Whoa slow down there Caffrey."

I shoot him an evil glare and shrug out of his grasp. I could easily flip him (I do have a black belt in karate), but I'd rather not be charged with assault of an FBI agent. They wouldn't have to go far to toss me in prison.

So instead I settle for, "I'm not going in there, and if you try to drag me I will start screaming and have every cop in this here in less than a minute." I'm pretty satisfied with that off the top of my head remark.

"Nicely played, but I'm an FBI agent. All I have to do is flash my badge and those cops will turn back around." Satisfaction ruined.

"You haven't heard me scream." Good come back.

"Give me a reason you don't want to talk to him." Not what I was expecting.

"Sour Grapes" I mumble for the second time that day.

"What?" Peter asks having heard my mumble.

"Nothing" I say quickly. He just shoots me a look and motions for me to continue.

I give him a look right back. "You know why I don't want to talk to him."

We sit in silence for a few seconds, both thinking of something to say.

I flash my most charming smile in his direction. "You could tell him"

He frowns. "Uh-uh, you have to tell him. That's just how it has to be."

I start pouting.

"It'll be just like ripping off a Band-Aid" he says as he stands and then reaches out a hand to help me up.

"Yeah, except Band-Aids hurt" I mutter ignoring the offered hand.

When we get back inside, Peter apologizes to the guard and the man leads us down some corridors and into a room in back that has a row concrete picnic tables. Peter paces back and forth, and I decide to take a seat on the table top.

There's definitely no backing out now.

The butterflies in my stomach have gone into overdrive. I'm scared, like deathly scared. I think I'm going to be sick.

I'm about to say something to Peter when I hear the metal door clink open.

I spin around and am met with the image of one solemn looking guard and a slightly shocked but brightly smiling criminal.

"Hey Dad" I say giving him a half smile as the guard excuses himself to the corner.

"Callen, I didn't know you were coming" my dad says, although he still doesn't move from his spot.

"Surprise" I say kind of quietly. Peter whacks me silently on the back.

"Neal" he says ignoring the look I'm giving him.

"Peter" dad replies still smiling. He moves to take a seat at the table right next to where my feet are on the bench.

I want to lean over and give him a hug, but I'm still afraid of how he'll react when I tell him about the twins so I don't.

"Kiddo, you okay?" dad asks concern lacing his question. "You look kinda pale."

"What? Yeah, fine never better. You know just missed you and stuff. Is it just me or is this place really small? Are those walls moving? I think they are…" I start rambling and tugging at the collar of my T-shirt.

Great, now I panic.

I try to regain my breath when I feel my dad's hands on my back trying to calm me down. He pulls me off the table and onto the bench beside him, giving me a hug. I close my eyes and take a deep breath before pulling back.

"You okay?" he asks still worried.

I nod. "So what did you want to talk to Peter about?" I say motioning in the agent's direction. Maybe I can still avoid telling him.

"We'll get to that in a minute. Callia, I think you had something to tell your dad." Peter says more as an order than a suggestion.

I shoot him the evilest glare I can muster. Peter Burke shall hereby be cursed to a life of misery for ruining my plan. That, and he called me Callia.

"What's up megabyte?" dad asks using my childhood nickname.

I take a gulp before turning back to him. He looks so happy right now. I know it's only because I'm here and we haven't been this close in four years, but I still don't want to ruin it.

I move his hand off my shoulder and stand up, beginning to pace the length of the area.

"Call" dad asks sounding more worried.

Well, he's already freaked out so I might as well tell him.

"Dad" I begin but he cuts me off.

"Is Braden okay, did something happen to him?" he says starting to panic.

"No, Brady's fine" I reassure him. "That sibling's just fine" I add quietly.

Dad stops and looks at me. "You only have one sibling Call; you're not making any sense."

I stop pacing and give a half laugh, "Actually it makes perfect sense."

He gives me another quizzical look, "What?"

Deep breaths Call, deep breaths.

"Dad, meet the twins" I say reaching into my pocket and handing him a picture of the littlest Caffrey's.

He takes the picture and runs his fingers over it. I took it yesterday when Elizabeth let them have a water fight with the hose. Grayson's got his arm slung over Gabby shoulder as she gives him a hug. Both are dripping wet, but smiling brightly at the camera. Gabby's auburn ringlets are pulled into pig tails and Gray's dark curls are coving the top of his eyes. They look so cute.

Dad just continues to run his fingers over the photo.

"Dad, say something" I say trying to pull him from his trance.

He looks up at me briefly before looking back down at the photo. He knows there his.

He looks up again and I can see tears lining his eyes briefly before he quickly wipes them away.

"What are their names" he asks returning to the photo.

I take a seat next to him on the bench. "That one" I say pointing at the smiling little boy, "is Grayson. And that" I say pointing at the other twin, "is Gabriella, but we call her Gabby."

He nods and smiles. "They're adorable."

"Yeah, and perfect replicas of their parents" I say smiling.

He smiles at me again and then frowns. "Why didn't I find them? I've been given files on you and Braden as to what you two have been up to, but I didn't know about them."

Peter walks over to us and pats him on the back. "That's probably because they were just found" he says taking a seat on the other side of the table, "And they're not Caffrey's."

Dad's jaw drops and he starts to say something but stops and looks at me for help.

"They don't have your name" I explain calmly. This is actually going a lot better than I thought it would.

He nods in understandment and then laughs "So they're Hunter's then?"

"How did you know that?" Peter asked stunned.

Dad just laughed some more "Well, like Callen said, they're perfect replicas of their parents."

….

We spent a few more minutes laughing about the two little look-alikes. And then things went south. Peter ruined the moment and inadvertently reminded dad that he was stuck in a box for the next four years.

I thought dad was going to lose it right there, but instead he pocketed the picture of the twins and reached for a stack of papers the guard had set on the table when they first walked in.

At that point I figured dad was gonna tell Peter why he had wanted to meet in the first place. As much as I wanted to stay and find out what dad had to say, I knew from the look that Peter was giving me that he wasn't going to let me listen. So instead I gave dad a hug, said good-bye, and was escorted by a guard to the front security office.

And that's exactly where anyone looking could find me an hour later.

I think I might die of boredom. You know that week I spent before the meeting trying to find things to occupy my time?

That was nothing compared to the nothingness I'm feeling now.

There's two guards sitting up here with me who are deep in their own conversation, while I sit there thinking about anything.

How long could their talk seriously take?

I decide I'm done waiting and am going to go get Peter myself. The guards both have their back turned and I can easily sneak out.

I slowly stand up and silently reach for the door knob, when it suddenly flies open.

"Ready to go" Peter asks giving me a pat on the back.

"Yeah" I say exiting the office and heading to the car.

He thanks the guards and follows me out the gates. We sit in silence for a while, him staring at the road and me staring at him.

"What" he says finally taking a glance at the kid he's currently responsible for.

"Are you going to hold me in suspense or tell me what you two talked about" I say baffling at his total obliviousness.

"Didn't know you wanted to know"

I punch him in the arm eliciting an "ow" in response.

"Alright, he had a proposition for me" he says rubbing his arm, making me smile just a bit.

"As in.." I say making a gesture for him to continue.

"He offered me a deal"

"Like him giving you something in return for something else, like getting out." I clarify with a little bit of hope slipping into my voice.

"Exactly he wants to help me catch other criminals in exchange for him being on a work release."

"Are you gonna do it?" I ask getting incredibly excited all of a sudden.

Peter doesn't respond, just gives me a look that immediately crushes my spirits.

"Of course you won't, because he's a criminal and you don't trust criminals." The statement comes out incredibly rude, just like I wanted it to. He opens his mouth to say something but I shoot him a look that says I will murder him if anything comes out.

He immediately closes his mouth and we ride in silence back to the house. As soon as we pull up in front of the Burke's house I jump out of the car before Peter can put it in park. I hear him yelling my name, but I just head toward the door, fling it open and slam it shut in Peter's face.

"Hey sweetie, how'd it go?" asks Elizabeth. It's an honest question and for a second I think about just running up the stairs and ignoring her, but when her expression changes from interest to concern I decide I can't just ignore her. She might have married the devil himself, but right now it feels like she's the only person who cares, and I can't lose the little bit of hope I still have that there are still nice people in this world. So I respond, rudely, but it's still a response.

"Ask Agent Burke" I say as Peter opens the door and walks in.

She shoots her husband a questioning look. Peter just runs a hand through his hair and then peers around us to see where the other kids are.

"There playing outside" Elizabeth says before telling him to continue and just as he opens his mouth, I cut him off.

"Your wonderful husband won't let my dad out of jail because he thinks he's trying to pull something over on him."

"Peter" she says looking for him to explain, but he just sighs. I roll my eyes and make a run for my room.

I'm really starting to hate Thursdays.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hey sorry I havn't posted in a while, I've been at hockey practice all day every day for the past week. Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: It's not mine, I only own Callen. (The direct quotes from the show are italicized)**

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><p>Chapter 6: Changing Minds is a Matter of Words<p>

"Callen" I look up from my spot in the grass where I was watching an ant crawl across the sidewalk.

"Whatcha doing kiddo?"

"Watching an ant" I respond flashing my dad a grin that mirrors his own. He smiles and kneels down next to me, musing my hair before lifting me up onto his hip.

"What" I ask in my tiny little kiddy voice.

He laughs. "Isn't nine a little old to be talking like a baby.

I shake my head and he laughs a light laugh that makes me smile every time.

And then his face suddenly changes to a serious form. "Mozzie found Kate."

I'm not sure whether to be happy about that or not. I'm not exactly Kate's biggest fan, but dad really loves her.

"That's supposed to be a good thing." Dad says returning me from my thoughts.

"I know." I say laughing lightly to show him I'm excited.

"Good" he says smiling again. "Do you want to come with me to get her?"

I nod vigorously glad he invited me to his reunion. "What about the Braden? Doesn't he want to come too?"

"He's napping, besides I think this is something that just you and me should do."

I don't really see why since Kate is technically only my brother's mom. I mean if we're trying to convince her to come back, don't you think he'd be more helpful. I learned at a very young age however not to question my dad's judgment, so I just nod and let him carry me to the front where he hails a cab.

I sit next to my dad really quite the whole way there. Dad's smiling like a little kid because he just found his long lost love after blowing it the first time. See dad wanted to do this job in Europe and tried to con Kate into going with him. Clearly the greatest con man of all time failed, because she didn't go with him and when he came back she was already gone, leaving me and her biological kid with Mozzie. She's been gone almost three months now and dad's been desperate to find her. He keeps pulling these big scams to try and get her attention, which is something he normally wouldn't do. Mozzie says it's because he's a hopeless romantic and he's going to get himself arrested one of these days. That scares me a lot, but I just keep convincing myself that Mozzie's just being his paranoid person.

The cab finally stops in front of a storage unit holding thingy (I don't know the technical term). I look around and notice that there aren't many cars or people, but there is a big van a few blocks down. Dad lifts me back up and says "Let's hope this works."

We head into the building and in side I can see one of the units open and there's a person inside with her back to us. It's Kate, I can tell. I hold my gasp because I don't want to disrupt anything. Daddy stands there for a minute before setting me down quietly and motioning for me to be quiet. I nod and he takes a step forward. I stand there and try not to listen because I know that it's a private moment and I don't want to intrude but I do watch closely as he pours his heart out to her, Neal Caffrey style.

"_I lied to you about a lot of things, Kate. But I never lied about loving you_" are the words I hear come out his mouth when I decide to turn my extra good eavesdropping ears on. He's good.

"I know" she says and next thing I know, he's pulling her into a hug and I throw my hand over my eyes when they starts kissing, actually it's more like making out, with her because I'm nine and that's still gross. I must have made a noise because dad's looking at me now and lets out the smile causing a laugh.

"Hi Call" I hear Kate say.

"Hi Kate" I say back slightly embarrassed.

Dad motions for me to come over and I hesitate for a second before waltzing over to the grown-ups. He scoops me up and pulls Kate close. For a second, the world is standing still. Everything's perfect, my 'family' is back together and we're all smiling. But then for probably the first time in my life I realize that fairy tales don't exist. That there's no such thing as a happy ending. That reality will come back and get you every time.

The front door to the building flies open and there are people, lots of people rushing in and shouting. Dad moves Kate to the door of the storage unit we were standing by and tries to set me by her feet, but I won't let go. My hand is tightly gripping the back of his shirt. He forcefully rips my hand away and sets a now screaming me on the ground. I feel Kate's arms wrap around me tightly holding me to her. I start kicking and hit dad in the shin. He winces before he kisses my forehead, standing and placing his hands on his head.

I'm silently sniffling, trying to be strong. I don't want dad to see me cry. I have to be okay, for him.

A man walks over to dad, and for the first time, of what will become many, I meet Peter Burke.

"_Agent Burke_" dad says half smiling. How can he be happy?

"_Neal Caffrey you are under arrest."_ If Kate wasn't holding me so tight I would kick that man right now.

"_I know… thank you. I never would have found her if not for you."_ I watch him reach out and shake the agent's hand, before another one cuffs him.

I'm silent. My face is growing numb and the air stops coming into my lungs. I want my dad, but I can't have him. He's being led out by an agent and peaks over his shoulder, giving Kate a slight smile.

Now I can't hold it back anymore. I start crying and kicking and trying to fling myself out of Kate's grasp. I eventually do, by elbowing her in the stomach. I start trying to run. I want my dad. I try to yell, but it's no use, nothing comes out. I watch Agent Burke, who was popping a sucker into his mouth, turn around and look in my direction. A sad expression crosses his face like he's just now realizing I'm there, which he probably is. He grabs my arm before I fall. I try to shoot him an evil glare and fight the grip on my arm, but my eyes are red and my vision is blurring. My breathing gets worse, nothings coming out. I'm having an attack, and dad can't rescue me. I struggle harder and the lights begin to fade…

I bolt upright, trying to catch my breath.

When my breathing relaxes, I look around at my surroundings. I'm in my bed, sheets twisted around me. I look down at the floor and see Sammy lying there. I bend down and grab him, wiping sweat from my forehead, trying to return my breathing completely too normal.

It was just a dream, breath, it was only a dream.

But truthfully it wasn't. I lived that day; that was the worst day of my life. He's gone.

Once I'm fully settled, I decide to go to the bathroom and splash some water on my face and maybe find some medicine that will knock this newly acquired headache out. I'm about to open the door when I hear light footsteps go past my room and descend the stairs.

I silently twist the knob and note that the other doors are all closed except for the one leading to the Burke's room. So those are Elizabeth's footsteps. I slowly creep to the stairs and descend them one by one. I'm not really sure of why I'm following her, but hopefully it will get my mind off of my nightmare.

When I reach the bottom of the stairs, I hear something.

"_You coming to bed tonight?"_

It's Elizabeth. She's talking to someone, most likely Peter. I freeze and stay really quite deciding to eaves drop on this conversation.

"Yeah," I hear Peter say, confirming my hunch. He sounds really tired and for a second I feel kind of guilty for being rude earlier, but quickly shake that felling away and lean a little closer to the dining room. I'm not sure why I continue to listen, really I should go back upstairs but for some reason I can't help but stay there.

I hear Elizabeth ask quietly "_What's wrong?"_

Now I'm really interested.

"_Nothing,"_ Peter says, but he is a terrible liar and his wife knows it too.

_"Don't tell me it's Neal Caffrey?"_ is Elizabeth's next question, but she says it jokingly like she already has her answer.

Now I'm definitely not leaving.

_"You considering his offer?"_ Elizabeth asks disrupting my thoughts.

I wait for Peter's response, not even trying to build up any hope that Peter could knock down with a few syllables.

But Peter's answer doesn't come. So Elizabeth continues. _"Well, of course you are, or you'd be in bed with me."_

Okay the last part of the sentence I could have done without, but that first part, that's what makes me begin to rebuild that wall of hope. And this time I can't make it stop.

_"Can he help you find him?"_ Elizabeth asks genuinely.

Okay anyone who's familiar with my dad knows that that is a "duh" answer. I mean genius doesn't even begin the man that is Neal Caffrey.

"_Neal's smart,"_ Peter says. _"You know how much I like smart."_

I'm starting to think that I should run upstairs or intrude or something, because I'm unsure of exactly what direction this is heading. And I don't want to be here if it goes one of those ways.

_"Is he as smart as those Ivy League coeds they throw at you_?" Elizabeth says playfully and again I kind of want to run but force myself to stay. This conversation could very well change my life. And if it does, I'd like to be present.

_"He's almost as brilliant as the woman I married"_ is Peter's response.

I might not like him very much right now but I got to admit that was kinda clever, and Elizabeth seems to agree. _"Ooh, good answer!"_

I hear Peter chuckle that stupid laugh he's got and then says seriously, "Then there are those kids that I for some reason care about."

So the devil does have a heart, who knew.

"You know exactly why you care about them, and they really do have something to do with your decision" Elizabeth reminds him and I nod to myself in approval.

Peter sighs; he sure has been doing that a lot lately. "Well, they shouldn't. It's not professional of me to take them into consideration. They should have nothing do with this and every professional knows that."

"But you're not like every other professional. You care which, is one of the things I love about you."

Yeah Peter listen to your wife, she knows what she's talking about.

"I do. Those kids….. He's all they have and vice versa. I can't just let that feeling go. I know the kids have each other but they need him, one of them can barely remember him and two he's never even met. And it's my fault."

My heart hurts. I can't believe he actually feels that way, and I have only made it worse. I want to run into the room and apologize right then and there, but Elizabeth's voice stops me.

"So," Elizabeth starts, "If he can help you find the Dutchman, and his release will make them happy, and relieve your conscious, what's the problem?"

Yeah, Peter. What's the problem? Just let him out; kill three birds with one stone.

_"This is not the way it's supposed to go,"_ Peter begins frustrated. _"You get caught, you do your time. There's more to this."_

Just like that my want to apologize disappears and the hate is back.

_"More to this than some lost love," _Peter adds which makes me cringe. "There's some side angle he's playing."

Okay now I'm intervening.

I walk through the living room, stand in the archway and open my mouth to give Peter a piece of my mind.

_"So you're suggesting,"_ I begin, watching as their heads turn to look at me with a surprised expression on their faces.

I continue, ignoring the stares, _"that my dad escapes a maximum security prison, and then lets you catch him, just so he can trick you into letting him out again?"_ I finish with a defiant stare at the apparently incompetent agent.

He stares at me speechless for a minute.

_"It's a working theory." _

I can hear Elizabeth let out a small laugh.

_"Yeah? Keep working,"_ I snap back at him.

I'm angry and desperate and so badly want to tear him apart. I want my dad really bad. I open my mouth to speak unsure about how my voice will sound, but luckily Elizabeth speaks first.

"_Is it so hard for you to believe a man would do that for the woman he loves?"_

"_Neal just bought himself four more years in prison for what?"_ Peter shoots back, his attention back on his wife.

"_For what?"_ me and Elizabeth say at the same time.

I can't believe he just asked that and for like what, the third time that night, I want to rip dear old Agent Burke to pieces. Throttle him till that stupid head of his falls off. Make him wish he was never born.

But again Elizabeth beats me to it, in a more civilized manner of course.

"_If you were Neal you wouldn´t have run for me?" _

Peter looks at her blankly and I take that as my cue to head upstairs knowing that he doesn't have to answer that question because it's obvious.

I climb the stairs two at a time, and when I make it to the top, I walk in my room, close the door softly and sit on my bed playing with Sammy's paws, waiting for someone else to make the next move.


	7. Chapter 7

**Don't own it, just Callen and her sibs**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: A Day Full of Surprises<p>

Apparently the next move was me standing outside of a supermax prison. Again.

The only difference was this time I wanted to be here. I was excited to be here. And this time I didn't totally hate Peter. For once he had decided to listen to me.

He actually listened. To me.

Well, Elizabeth did help a little bit. Okay, maybe a lot. But still, either way I won.

In case you haven't figured it out yet, he's getting out. He, referring to my favorite person in the whole wide world.

Dad.

"Whoa, slow down there kid. You look like your gonna have a heart attack," Peter says laughing.

I take a deep breath and shoot Peter an evil glare.

He raises his eyebrows in return.

"Am I not allowed to be happy?" I ask him.

"You can be happy; I just don't want you to die on me." He responds back sarcastically.

"Why not? Your life might be less stressful than" I kid back.

"Maybe, maybe not" he says avoiding my eyes.

"Aw, Peter admit you like me" I say smiling.

"You're nuts" he responds.

"You like me, you like me" I sing.

"Ok, maybe you're starting to grow on me" he admits annoyed.

"HA, see I win" I shout.

"How old are we?" he asks looking at me.

I'm about to say something extremely sarcastic when I hear the sound of doors creaking. I switch my focus from one annoying agent to one charming criminal. Hmm, that has a nice ring to it don't you think.

Anyways, I look in the direction of the doors just in time to see the man in question walk out. Dark dress pants, white T-shirt, dark curly brown hair, and ice blue eyes that look just like mine. I smile to myself and take a step forward. I watch as he walks out and look around until his eyes fall on me.

"Daddy" I yell, okay I realize I'm a little old to say that, but right now I don't really care.

I take off full sprint and bolt to him.

I know that I just saw him like three weeks ago, but that was different. Then he was in prison, now he's out. He's here. Not locked up for another four years. And I'm excited.

Last time, there were secrets and uncertainty but not anymore.

In less than five seconds I'm in his arms, burying my face into his shoulder.

"Oh, so now you're excited to see me" he jokes giving me a hug.

I lean back slightly to punch him in the arm. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He looks at me and smiles a goofy grin. "Well last time I saw you, you looked so serious I thought you were planning on murdering me."

I just roll my eyes before giving him another hug. "I missed you" I whisper into his jacket.

"I know megabyte, I know" he says leaning down to give the top of my head a kiss.

I smile up at him and he reciprocates with an identical one. If I could stay like this forever, I definitely would.

Unfortunately a very, very irritating FBI Agent seems to have different plans.

"_Let me see it."_ Me and dad break our gaze and turn to look at Peter who has just interrupted our reunion.

Dad takes a look at me, winks, and then takes a few steps in Peter's direction with him pushing me ahead.

Once in front of Peter, dad casually balances on his left foot using the other to lift up the pant leg on the aforementioned foot revealing a tracking anklet.

"_You understand how this works right?"_ Peter says raising his eyebrows.

_"I've been released into the custody of the FBI under your supervision,"_ Dad says looking at his captor, _"I let this thing -" _he gesture to his anklet -_ "chafe my leg. Anything I'm missing?"_

"Yeah," Peter replies glancing at me quickly as if to make sure I'm listening _"If you run, and I catch you - which you know I will, because I'm 2 and 0 -"_

Vanity is not an attractive look on you Peter.

_"- you're not back here for four years, you're back here for good."_

I look between Peter and dad, who have decided to begin a staring contest with one another. My excitement drops a little bit hearing those restrictions. I knew there would be some stipulations, but two miles, in New York City; well that's just not fair. I guess it does however beat a prison cell. Anyways that's not the biggest disappointment. It's that last clause that gets me, scares me almost.

Guess what? I once again hate Peter.

"Call"

I snap out of my daydream and turn my attention to dad.

"Yes dad" I say, glad for once I can say that to his face.

"You looked like you were on another planet" he responds laughing. "You ready to go."

"Of course, unless you want to stay here longer?" This time Peter laughs too and dad gives me a kiss on the forehead before climbing in the car.

…...

"This place is gross" I whisper to dad.

We're currently standing in the lobby of a really disgusting run-down motel. Peter brought us here straight from the prison, saying that this was where dad would be staying. And as expected dad started arguing the minute we walked in the door. Not that I blame him, not only is the building gross but so are the people. I feel like I'm in a horror movie.

"See even Callen thinks it's disgusting" dad whines for the thousandth time in the last five minutes.

"Neal, this is the same price that it would cost to host you in the prison, if you can find other accommodations for the same price you can take it."

"Peter."

"No" he states addressing that it's the end of the conversation, and then turning to me he says "you staying or coming?"

I look at dad and then back at Peter and grab onto his arm. "I totally want to spend the rest of the day with you Peter. We could go shopping and then get manicures or go see a movie, there's this great new romantic comedy that just came out."

"Okay, I get it. You want to spend time with your dad" he says ripping his arm from grasp.

"No duh Sherlock" I say sarcastically rolling my eyes. I hear dad stifle a laugh, which only makes me smile.

"Fine, be back at my place for dinner" he says pulling out his wallet to hand me money for a cab.

"Of course, wouldn't want to miss you wife's delicious cooking."

He rolls his eyes. "Here's a ten for a cab."

I reach into his still open wallet and grab two twenties. "I might need more" I respond to his fuming look.

And with that he turns and walks out the door with a huff.

Dad laughs and I smile handing him the ten Peter hand originally in his hand.

"How did you get that too?" he asks smiling.

I shrug. "It's not that hard. And besides now you get some too."

"I get ten and you get forty, somehow I don't think that's fair."

"Hey, I did the work. Therefore I get more."

He rolls his eyes. "You're becoming a miniature criminal."

"And whose fault is that" I ask shooting him a look.

He laughs.

"So what should we do now kiddo" he asks placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Well, how about we check out that thrift store Peter was talking about. You need some new clothes" I say grabbing at his jacket and shuddering causing him to laugh again.

I will never get tired of that.

We head out on to the busy New York City Streets to the thrift store a few blocks down. There are people everywhere completely involved in their own little world and oblivious to the joy mine has just received.

"So kiddo, what's up?" dad asks pulling me away from my observations.

"Not much. You?" I know what he meant but walking around dad's questions is a favorite game of mine.

He rolls his eyes. "I mean what have I missed."

"I know what you mean dude." I respond smiling at him. Honestly I don't know where to start; a person can miss a lot in four years.

He laughs in response and says "Start small. Tell me about your brothers and sister first, that way I know what they're like since I never met the twins and Braden could barely talk." He says the last part a little mournful, which makes me cringe.

"If it makes you feel better, you're lucky. Sometimes they don't stop talking. It can get pretty irritating." This makes him smile again, so I continue.

"First of all, Brady's eight and a total trouble maker. He's really devious, likes typical boy stuff, you know; skateboarding, video games, sports, picking pockets, building stuff."

He stops walking and looks at me. "Picking pockets?"

"Yeah, he's good too, not quite as good as me of course, but still amazing. You should see his sleight of hand tricks."

"Is it wrong that I'm slightly proud of that?"

"Not really, I mean you are you." I flash him a million watt smile before continuing.

"Next is Gabby. She's four, and loves to draw. Pretty good too."

"That's my girl."

"Yeah she got your artistic gene, unlike me who wouldn't be able to draw if my life depended on it" I say rolling my eyes at my inability to do anything art related.

Dad laughs. "Oh come on, you're not that bad."

I stop and stare at him, "Unless you count stick people, I suck."

"I remember you having made some good looking art work when you were little" he says continuing to walk.

"Okay now you're just being nice" I say running to catch up to him. "I remember very clearly that you never hung up any of my work on the fridge."

"It was too abstract for taste" he says smiling and shrugging his shoulders.

I slug him in the shoulder.

"Ow" he says rubbing the spot, "What's with you and punching lately?"

I just shrug. "Anyway back to Gabby" I say slapping him on the back for fun, "she also loves animals, fairies and princesses, and other little kid stuff."

"Sounds like a cute kid" he says after a second of recovery.

"Not as cute as your mini-me." He gives me a quizzical look.

"First off he looks identical to you as you already know. Second he probably has an IQ of like 180, even though he's only four. And lastly, he has your personality. Loves classical things, artwork, history. He can convince you to do anything he wants with his smile and twinkling blue eyes. He's literally your clone and I've only known him for three weeks so that's saying something." I say thinking about my adorable little brother.

"Sounds like an amazing kid" he says obviously proud. I punch him in the arm.

"Okay, stop that would you" he says rubbing his arm. I just smirk.

"Okay what about you?"

"What do you mean? You already know what I'm like, remember" I state watching a guy who must have left something in a cab run screaming after it.

"I mean" he drags out, "I'm sure you've changed at least a little while I was gone."

"Oh, sure I guess…" I trail off because I don't know what to tell him, or just don't want to. I'm not sure. "Hey look we're here." I dart into the thrift store and can just picture him running his hands through his hair before walking in after me.

I immediately head over to a stack of shoes on display in the back corner because I saw a really cute pair of silver heels. What, just because I'm a tomboy doesn't mean I can't enjoy a good pair of heels.

Dad heads over to the guys section and I can tell by the look on his face, he is not enjoying their selection.

I kind of laugh at the face he's making because it's totally something he would do. My dad may be a criminal, but he has exquisite taste in clothing. He is definitely not a T-shirt and jeans kind of guy. Nope he needs his clothes to a certain way, which is how thrift stores became a favorite father-daughter activity for us. Yes, I like thrift stores too. I prefer new stuff like most teenagers, but vintage stuff is really cool too.

Anyway, I'm busy going through the rows and rows of shoes when I hear my dad laughing. I back towards the spot he was at thirty seconds ago, but he's gone. I start to look around frantically like a mom who just lost her kid in a department store. It's not my fault he can't stay put.

Funny how the roles seem to be reversed.

Finally I relax as my eyes land on him standing at the front counter with a fedora on his head, talking to an elderly lady. I notice his eyes lighting up as the women hands him a suit jacket and he says something smiling like a kid in a candy store. He looks so happy.

I sigh in relief.

I abandon my shoe rack and skip over to where he's standing and stop right in front of him, flashing my best innocent little kid expression.

"Hi" I say sweetly looking at the grown-ups in front of me.

"Hey megabyte" he says looking at me.

"June, this is my daughter Callen" he says to the woman.

I shake her hand, still smiling. "Hello June, it's very nice to meet you. You seem very wonderful."

I add my Cafferey grin that's identical to the one the one my father's currently wearing.

"Oh, thank you sweetheart" she says smiling at me, "Neal you didn't mention how charming she was, although I can see where she gets it from."

I look over at my dad at the same time he turns to look at me. We both have the same smile plastered on our faces. We turn our attention back to June.

"Call, June was just telling me about her beautiful home" dad says now smiling at me, "And it's very close."

"Oh" I say giving dad a knowing look.

"Yes I was just telling your father about my late husband Byron. Your fathers a lot like him you know?" June says smiling sweetly.

"Really?" I ask innocently.

"Yes, in fact our guest house used to be a speakeasy" she adds.

"That's so cool. I bet it looks amazing" I say excitedly and it's not even fake.

"It certainly does. The space looks more like a house now, but there are still secret passages and other fun accessories" she says her smile growing wider.

"That's incredible" my dad adds still smiling.

"Yes, in fact you two should come over right now and see it for yourselves" June says excitedly.

"Oh no, we don't want to intrude on your day" dad says kindly.

"I insist. And if you like it, perhaps we could work out a deal. You did mention you were looking for a place right?" she says half asking half telling.

"Are you sure?" dad asks skeptically.

June just turns to me in response. "Callen would you like to see the space."

"Yes please if that's alright with you" I say sweetly.

She gives me a hug and laughs. "A father-daughter con-team. You two really are something special."

Me and dad pass each other an excited look.

"Well are you two sweethearts just going to stand there?" she asks turning to walk out of the store.

Dad slaps me on the back of the head and I shove him slightly as he flips his newly bought fedora on his head and we run after our new friend.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Making the Best of a Bad Situation

"Wow, this is incredible" I shout through the huge open space. "You really outdid yourself this time Caffrey. This place is almost as good as that palace we stayed in during the Venice job. "

"I know" he responds smiling at me.

I just roll my eyes and continue to explore the place. So to sum it up, June lives in a mansion and had a spare room in the attic that is actually more like an apartment. She offered it to my dad since he reminded her so much of her late husband who I guess was also a con man. I officially love that woman. This place is huge. There's a kitchen that has a big table near it and a fireplace on the far wall. On the opposite side is a living room space that has a couch and TV, and walls lined with books. Behind the living room is a bedroom that dad has claimed and next to it is a big closed off room that I took for myself. Behind the kitchen is a hallway that leads to a bathroom, a huge walk in closet, a storage room, and another room that the boys can share. I decided that Gab could share with me when she stays here.

The best part though is the view. There's this giant stone balcony that overlooks the entire city. It has to be a least a multimillion dollar view and here I am looking at it right now. It's beautiful.

"So did I do a god job?" dad asks joining me on the balcony.

"You always do" I say breaking my gaze from the most dazzling city in the world. "And don't forget I helped."

"Yes you did, and I'm glad you like it. I'm gonna go get some stuff from the motel and leave a note for Peter. You coming or staying?"

"I think I'll hang here and call Elizabeth to tell her I'm gonna miss dinner" I say following him inside.

"Great, order a pizza while you're at it" he replies kissing the top of my head before leaving.

I stand there admiring the view a little while longer before pulling out my phone and dialing the number Peter had me memorize.

"Hello" Elizabeth's voice says from the other end.

"Hey Elizabeth" I say.

"Callen; is everything okay" she asks sounding slightly concerned.

"Yeah, I just wanted to tell you I'm gonna stay with my dad tonight if that's okay?"

"Absolutely, wait you want to stay in that deranged motel? I thought you'd be out of there as soon as possible" she says curiously.

I laugh and explain to her what happened and she promises she won't tell Peter before we say our good-bye's and hang up. Then I dial the number to our favorite pizza place and dad comes up a half hour later with the food.

We grab some plates and sit on the floor by the couch as we dig into our delicious pizza. Dad looks like he's in heaven and I can't blame him. He probably hasn't eaten anything like this in four years. He moans at the taste of the cheese and hand rolled crust. I give him a shove.

"What, a man can't enjoy the taste of a perfectly made pizza?" he says smiling at me. I just roll my eyes.

"So" he says "no more avoiding my question, tell me about you."

I sigh and stuff a slice of pizza in my mouth and then point to it as if saying 'I'm not allowed to talk with my mouth full'.

"Callen" he says sternly. "Don't make me full name you."

"You wouldn't" I say with my mouth full.

"Try me" he says biting in to his pizza, his eyes not leaving mine.

"Fine" I say swallowing, "what do you want to hear first?"

"Why'd you run?"

I take a deep breath. "Because it sucked. No kid wants to be in foster care, ask Mozzie. Besides I could totally do a better job, those stupid people didn't even know we left."

"You put your brother in danger" he says looking me in the eyes.

"Did not, ask him he was perfectly happy. We were fine for two years and even after Peter found us we still didn't need anyone. You know I can take better care of us than any of those people" I say fiercely.

"Those were good people though Cal, I read the files."

"But they weren't you" I whisper, which causes his face to sadden.

He looks at me and then tosses his pizza aside and wraps his arm around me hugging me close. I lean into his chest and we sit there like that for a while silently enjoying the moment we've missed out on for the past four years. Finally I break the silence by sitting up and looking at his face, I smile.

He smiles back, "so how about you tell me about you, because you went from this innocent little kid to this strong independent teenager, who by the way I am extremely proud of. "

I smile at him and then we scoot onto the couch, me on one end sitting Indian style and him on the other laying with his feet propped up on the coffee table.

"What first?" I ask.

"Favorites" he says.

"Got it" I respond and begin our game of twenty questions. "My favorite color's still purple and my favorite animal is still a dog. Favorite school subject I can't answer since I have never technically been, but lock picking 101 was a favorite. Um, favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird. Favorite movie is a tie between Star Wars and the Bourne Trilogy. TV show is, well I don't watch that much but I guess I like the crime shows, yeah funny I know. Oh, and my favorite sport is a tie between soccer and basketball but I'm leaning more towards soccer."

"You still good at gymnastics?" he asks.

"How else do you sneak past security cameras?" I ask giving him a serious look.

"Right, so what do you like to do to kill time since I know you had more to work with than I did."

I give him a pat on the back. "I like to read a lot."

"Good girl" he says smiling.

More eye rolling. "Well since I didn't inherit your art gene I had to find something to do. But I do like master minding bank robberies, kidding, but I have spent a lot of time running street cons. They're a lot of fun you know." I look at him for a response.

"Yes, I do know. But let's try not to make that a frequent hobby" he says with a warning look.

"Okay, I promise" I say smiling.

"No you don't" he says seeing right through my lie.

"You're right, I don't."

He just laughs, "Well since I know picking pockets doesn't make a sufficient income for you to live off of, what did you pull."

I flash him my con man's smile. "A good con never reveals their secrets."

"Ha Ha, funny" he replies rolling his eyes.

We spend the next hour talking all about me, and it really is a lot of fun. Before I know it I'm fast asleep and when I wake up in the morning, I find myself still asleep on the couch and dad in his own bed. I carefully and quietly roll off the couch and start perusing the cabinets for any sort of breakfast food. Just as I'm about to give up my search, I smell cinnamon muffins and a delicious coffee. It smells really good and I can tell it's strong because just then dad bolts upright and looks towards the deck. He grabs his robe and we both move out onto the big patio where we find June with the treats.

"Italian roast" she says before turning to go back to her part of the house.

Me and dad give each other a look before diving in. It tastes so good and the coffee is better than it looks. Just then were interrupted by a knock on the French door that leads to the outdoor space.

"Mornin' Peter" dad says.

I just wave since my mouth is full of delicious pastry. I continue to focus on my food as dad annoys Peter accidentally on purpose by telling him the story of the move. We're than joined by June's beautifully yet annoying granddaughter Cindy (who got herself added to my hate list last night when she started hitting on my dad), and the amazing woman herself, while Peter just rolls his eyes and tells dad to go get dressed.

"You" he says looking at me, "go change."

"For what" I ask feigning ignorance.

"Callia" he starts.

"Callen" I remind him.

Cindy smirks.

"We talked about this remember, today's your interview with the school."

"I have zero clue what you are talking about" I respond eating a piece of bacon.

"Look I know you don't want to go, but it would be nice if you cooperated so your siblings did as well. Don't make this hard on me." He's practically begging and it makes me happy.

I think it over for a bit, knowing full well I'll have to give in eventually, but if he's begging then maybe I can get something out of this.

We're in the middle of a stare down now and as soon as June turns around to talk with Cindy, I lean towards Peter and whisper "I'll scream."

"And what would that accomplish" he says not breaking his gaze.

"Whatever I want" I say smirking.

"I could just let you go to public school instead of a private one like El suggested" he says trying to reason.

It's almost cute how he thinks he can make me agree that easily. Almost.

I let out a little whimper and jut out my bottom lip, tears lining my eyes. June turns around almost instantly, but Peter throws her a quick smile so she turns back around.

"Fine, what do you want?" he whispers sharply.

"What do you want to offer up?" I ask back, the tears immediately gone.

"How 'bout a nice laptop for homework" he suggests.

I consider this for a moment and then smile at him, "I'm gonna need more Peter if I'm supposed to convince an eight year old and a couple of four year olds that school is fun."

He sighs clearly irritated. "Fine, I'll buy you a cell phone."

"I already have a phone Peter" I say holding up the cheap pay as you go phone that I took a while back.

"A new one, that's legal, and I'll over look that" he directs pointing at the phone in my hand.

"I want an I-phone and unlimited texting please" I demand politely. Politeness is key remember.

He shakes his head "No".

"Fine" I say shrugging my shoulders, "you asked for it."

He looks at me confused and then turns to panic as I well up more tears and let out a loud scream.

"Daddy"

June and Cindy turn to look at me and ask what happened.

Peter quickly recovers and scoots closer to me. "She's fine" he says, "she just bumped her knee on the table."

He looks at my knee like he's examining it and whispers angrily "I-phone right"

I turn to June whose began to hover. "It doesn't hurt to bad" I whimper.

"I'll go get ice, Cindy go get some Ibuprofen" June directs as they rush to grab supplies.

Dad stumbles past them on to the deck, barefoot with his hair still dripping wet and his dress shirt all frumpy looking.

"What happened" he says looking frightened.

I feel bad for that but it's a small price to pay for getting what I want. I lean closer to Peter, "I like video games."

I watch Peter's glare turn into a scowl before I turn to dad, "I'm fine, just bumped my knee."

He walks over anyways and drops to the ground before analyzing my supposed injury. "Well it doesn't look like it'll bruise."

While he looks my knee over, I look over the top of his head at Peter whose still scowling. I smile back at him.

"I got ice" Junes says walking back onto the deck and when dad goes to grab the ice from her, Peter whispers "Wii?"

I shake my head, "X-box, two games."

He shakes his head, irritated that he's getting blackmailed by a fourteen year old. In all honesty though, I don't really have anything on him so it's not like he actually has to agree with anything I'm saying.

Luckily, he's just as good of a mark as he is an FBI Agent.

Dad returns and sets the ice on my knee as Cindy comes back with the painkillers. I fake take them and reassure my dad that I'm fine.

"You sure" he asks for the fifth time.

"Yes dad, I over reacted go get ready."

He stays for a minute and then turns back to the apartment.

I stand, "Now if you'll all excuse me I have to get ready for school."

I walk past the two new acquaintances and stop by Peter. "One of them better be Call of Duty" I tell him a smile playing across my face.

I make it into the apartment before turning and shouting, "Oh and Agent Burke, you might want to work on your negotiating skills" before skipping happily into the apartment.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: It Pays off in the End

Stepping out a nice warm shower, I slip on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, a light blue soccer jersey and a pair of purple low top Converse sneakers. I leave my dark wavy hair down and add a pair of silver stud earrings and my lucky bracelet, which is really more like braided string, that dad bought me from Disneyworld when I was four.

Once I'm satisfied, I grab a few dollar bills I have tucked in my backpack and my soon to be old phone, and head out to sit on the front steps and wait for Elizabeth. I still can't believe I'm getting all that stuff. I mean, sure having to actually go to school for seven hours every day sucks but I can deal.

When Elizabeth pulls up in the Taurus, I hop in the front seat and say hi to my little siblings and the women I've been starting to consider my pseudo-mom. I've never really had a mom before since mine left me and I never really liked Kate that much, but if I did have a mom I'd want it to be Elizabeth.

"Have a nice time with your dad?" asks said pseudo-mom.

"Yes" I say happily.

"So you saw him, what's he like, is he still the same?" Braden asks rapidly from the back seat.

"Slow down there Brady, and yes I saw him and he can't wait to see how big you've gotten" I tell him. "And meet you two" I say looking at the twins.

"Really" the three of them say eagerly.

"Yup, I don't know if it'll be today though because he and Peter have a lot of stuff to do" I add so that they don't go bouncing everywhere.

"Will he like us?" Gabby asks innocently from her seat in between her brothers.

"Of course" I say turning back around to look at them. "Trust me he already loves you guys and he hasn't even seen you yet."

She nods, as does Grayson and they return their attention to their picture books while Brady diverts his attention to his DS. A gift I got him for his eighth birthday, okay stole, but hey it's the thought that counts.

With the little kids distracted I turn to Elizabeth. "So school huh?"

"You don't look too thrilled."

"The idea of having to devote half my day to stuff I already know or could find on the internet is not to appealing."

She laughs "I'm sure you'll survive"

"Oh I know I will" I say smiling a devious grin.

She gives me a questioning look and then smiles "So what should I expect when I get my credit card bill next month?"

…...

When we finally pull up in front of the big school with the words "Cityview Prepatory Academy" written on the front of it in way too preppy blue letters, I roll my eyes. We all exit the car and I take Gabby's hand as we walk into the building.

The first thing I notice is the way to clean hallways and rows of trophies that are outside the main office. We enter said office and Elizabeth talks to the short bald guy at the desk, while I lead the little kids to the fish tank on the far wall.

Five minutes later a tall blonde pencil like woman appears with a tall guy built like a football player.

"Hi, you must be Mrs. Burke" she says shaking Elizabeth's hand.

"Yes, and this is Callen, Braden, Gabriella, and Grayson" she says pointing to each of us. She says our names so proudly that it makes me smile.

"Well, I'm Mrs. Wilder the principle here and this is our high school guidance counselor Mr. Bauer. Why don't you guys come back with us and we can talk" says the blonde and we follow her back into a huge office with a glass door. It kind of reminds me of Peter's.

We get settled into those uncomfortable plastic chairs and wait for the 'hosts' to start talking.

"Alright Mrs. Burke, I talked to your husband yesterday and he mentioned that the younger three have never been to school but I believe we have Callen's file" Mrs. Wilder says reaching for my folder.

As she does this, Braden leans over and whispers "How do you have a file, you've never been to school either."

I turn my head slightly towards him to respond. "Our father's a master forger, how do you think I got a file."

Braden smirks at that a little too loudly and all three adults turn to look at the two of us. We just turn back to them and smile.

Elizabeth shakes her head, "So what do we need to do first?"

Mrs. Wilder pulls some papers from the folder, "First we need to make sure all the info for the emergency contact sheet is correct."

She hands me the papers and I momentarily freeze wondering what I'm supposed to write down. Technically the Burkes are my foster parents so I should put their info down, but my dad isn't exactly in prison anymore so he should be the one they call if there's an emergency. Of course, the school is five miles outside his radius so it's not like he could actually get here if he was needed.

While I'm busy rambling in my head, Elizabeth takes the forms from me and offers to fill them out. I silently thank the universe for letting Peter have such a wonderful wife.

"Okay, how about we figure out your schedule than" Mr. Bauer suggests turning towards me.

I nod, now that I can handle.

"Alright it says here you've already had Algebra I which is what freshman normally would take, but we do have many advanced students who take Geometry" he says setting up a schedule on the computer.

"That sounds perfect" I say in my mature voice, without a hint of sarcasm present.

See as much as I don't want to be here, I've learned that the best way to make the most out of a situation is to play the game right. See, first you pick your mark (in this case the principle and counselor). Next you make them trust you, get them to open up and let you into their inner circle. Then, you use that position to get info and finally you win the game by having them so far under your spell they'll give you whatever you want.

It's the first rule you learn in the con business, well that and lie, lie, lie.

We then decide on a Biology Honors class, English 9 Honors, and World History (a class I will ace with flying colors).

Then came the electives. I had to take gym, and the Elizabeth suggested art since it was in my genes. Of course I didn't want to admit that the art gene skipped my generation so I went with it. Then was the foreign language since lunch counts as one of the hours.

"So you have a choice between German I, Spanish I, or French I" Mr. Bauer says looking expectantly for an answer.

Before I can answer, Braden bursts out laughing. We all turn to look at the eight year old boy in the corner of the room.

"Braden" Elizabeth asks eyebrows raised.

"Sorry" he laughs, "Elle, dans français un, c'est drôle. Amusante." (her in French one that's funny).

"Braden, ne sois pas impoli. Ils ne savent pas que nous sommes couramment de français. Mais je suis d'accord, français un n'est pas assez bon. " (do not be rude. They do not know we are fluent in French. But I agree, French one is not good enough).

All the adults just stare at the two of us. I turn back around to face the three of them. Elizabeth and Mrs. Wilder stare at me blankly, while Mr. Bauer lets out a whistle and says "So how 'bout French V."

…...

As we walk back to the car after a long two hours of more questions and paper, the little kids start running around like crazy and Elizabeth just keeps staring at me.

"What" I ask smiling.

"You speak French, both of you" she says still starring.

"So does dad, that's how we learned it" I say as I continue to walk towards the car.

"All of you" she says mouth agape.

"Yeah, dad can speak like six different languages" I say pulling out a pair of aviators.

She stops and looks at me. "Where did you get those from" she asks in total confusion.

"I've had them the whole time" I say looking at her like she's crazy and then pull them on, flashing a Caffrey grin.

She just shakes her head and then gets the rugrats into the car.

"So where to now" I ask.

"I thought we could go back to school shopping" she says excitedly.

I smile back at her "that sounds great, right guys".

"Yeah" the twins scream from the back seat and Braden just nods vigorously.

"Okay then" she says laughing. I study her for a minute. She looks so happy, not that she wasn't happy when we first met her, but after these past few weeks she seems like she's found a missing piece. The way she jumps at the chance to help us with something, or took care of Grayson when he caught a 24-hour flu bug last week. It makes me wonder if she's always wanted kids but was never able to have any.

After being dragged to four different stores, we finally make it home. I grab the multiple massive bags and drag them up the stairs to my room. Tossing them on the bed I start to dig through the contents. I had argued that Elizabeth didn't need to spend any money on us, that we had things for school; but she insisted. Duping out the contents, I reveal six new t-shirts, three pairs of jeans, two new sweatshirts, a new fall coat that's really cute, a zip-up that can work as a coat, a new pair of converse sneaker, gym shoes (since my old ones are worn from running), this really cute pair of flats, and a skirt that I was forced to pick out in case we go out to eat someplace nice. Then after arranging my clothes, I empty the bag with the supplies; binders, paper, notebooks, calculator, pens and pencils, the usual. She even bought me a new backpack and I told the one I had was just fine, but she insisted since Satchmo ate a whole in mine.

"Callen diner" I hear her call up the stairs.

I head down and in to the dining room to find the table set for six. The little kids are already eating and Elizabeth motions for me to help myself as she talks to someone on the phone. I can tell it's Peter and from the sound of it, my guess is he's missing supper again. She motions for Satchmo to join us at the table and all laugh as he makes a mess trying to slurp the noodles.

When Peter finally gets home around eight, I'm sitting on the couch with my legs pulled up flipping through the many channels the television seems to hold.

"What took ya so long" I say as he sets a giant bag on the floor and takes a seat on the couch.

He looks at me annoyed and then reaches into the bag and pulling out boxes to set on the coffee table.

"One laptop" he says, "to be used for homework." I roll my eyes.

He then pulls out an X-box. "This what you wanted?"

"Uh, yeah" I say excitedly reaching for the video game system I've always wanted but have never been able to have.

He pulls back slightly, "Now you have to share this with your brother k."

"Yeah sure" I say grabbing the box from his hands.

"And no playing this around the twins" he says tossing me two video games.

I stare at my new stuff I have in disbelief. "Peter I know I can be pretty convincing, but I didn't actually think you would cave that easily."

He ignores my statement and reaches into his pocket pulling out a brand new phone and tossing it to me.

"This is mine?" I ask in disbelief, fingering the touch screen. I still can't believe it.

"Don't make me regret it" he says moving to go get some leftover food. I just stare at him in disbelief. Okay he either one wants something from me, two feels sorry for making me go to school, or three actually cares and wants me to like him."Oh and don't expect me to get you anything for your birthday."

And we're back.

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><p>"<p>

**AN: So this was kind of a filler chapter but I promise to update soon. Thanks again for all the great reviews!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Hidden Secrets

"I got it" I say hoping up from the breakfast table to answer the door. "Dad" I answer shocked when I see my favorite person on the other side of the door.

"Hey kiddo" he says giving me a hug and a kiss on my head.

"Callen, who's at the door?" I hear Elizabeth ask as she comes around the corner. "Oh, hello" she says upon seeing my dad.

"Elizabeth I'd like you to meet my father, the great Neal Caffrey. Dad this is Elizabeth Burke, Peter's wife" I say giving the introductions even though I'm sure they can guess who the other is.

"How do you do" dad says shaking her hand.

"Wow Callen, you weren't kidding when you said he was a gentleman" she says smiling and turning to me.

"I don't lie" I say flashing a grin. They just laugh, because we all know that's not true.

"Lisbeth, where'd you go?" ask the little voice of Grayson. He comes running around the corner with Gabby fast on his heels, but stops short when he spots the grown-up who looks like an older version of himself.

"Ow" Gabby whines as she runs smack into her twin. Elizabeth bends down and picks her up.

"Who are you?" Grayson asks eyes wide as he tries to hide behind Elizabeth's legs.

I look at dad whose eyes are wide and is completely speechless. "Guy's" I say to my siblings, "I'd like you to meet our dad."

Gabby opens her mouth but doesn't seem to know what to say. Grayson moves out from his hiding spot and looks up at the tall man he's supposed to call dad. As if on cue, dad bends down so he's eye level with the little boy.

"Hi" he says smiling, "You must be Grayson."

Grayson eyes him for a minute a little unsure and then reaches out his little hands and grabs dad's face.

Wrinkling his nose like he's deep in thought, he stares into the mirroring image and then smiles. "You are him" he says excitedly.

Dad laughs, "What gave it away?"

Grayson smiles and gives dad a hug, which he gladly accepts. After letting go, I scoop up Grays as dad turns to face Gabby who still looks scared.

"HI sweetie" dad says calmly, "I take it your Gabby. Callen's told me a lot about you."

She just sits there gripping Elizabeth tightly, so he continues "I hear that you like to draw."

She nods her head slightly.

"I saved all the pictures you drew for me" he says smiling as she continues to stare. He wrinkles his nose like Grayson just did and then reaches into his pocket. "You like magic" he asks her.

She nods. "Good, here see this card" he says holding one of Peter's business cards between his two fingers. She nods again.

"Watch this, one two three" he makes a motion of throwing the card, but doesn't.

She looks in amazement as the card's completely gone. "Where'd it go" she asks eyes wide.

"I don't know" he says looking around him, shrugging his shoulders.

He looks over at Grayson who's got the same look on his face as his sister.

He looks at me then. I'm smiling from ear to ear because I know this trick. I made dad show me how he did it. Winking he turns back to Gabby, gives her his best Caffrey grin and then lifts his hands and reaches into her jacket pocket, pulling out the card.

Her eyes go wide as she starts checking her pockets and takes the card from him. She looks back up at him and smiles. "Hi daddy."

"Hi munchkin" he says leaning in and placing a kiss on her head.

I'm glad that went as well as it did because I was prepared for a lot worse. I expected Grayson to take it easily, but Gabby can be shy sometimes, so I was prepared for tears. Just in case.

Dad looks at me as if to say something but is cut off when Brady strides in.

"You people ever coming ba.." he pauses upon seeing dad who's smiles and waves. "Dad" he screams and runs over, jumping in his arms.

"Hey buddy" dad says swinging him around in a circle. "I missed you."

"I missed you too dad" Brady says smiling as dad sets him down.

"How about we move away from the door so you guys can finish your reunion, and he can tell me why he's here" Elizabeth says pointing her finger at dad.

He smiles and we all move to the couch, talking and laughing as the little kids tell dad about themselves, (at the same time of course) and he pulls out a picture of a forged bond to show me and Elizabeth.

"See right there, CH" he says proudly showing us how he plans to catch the forger.

"You're right" she says looking at him, "you're really are good at this."

"He's the best" I say smiling.

Just then we hear Peter stumbling down the stairs.

"El honey, I gotta go. Neal's out of his radius." He stops short when he sees the six of us huddled around the couch. "Never mind, he's with me. Yup, I'm sure."

He hangs up the phone and looks at us blankly. I look up and smile.

"Good morning, honey," Elizabeth says smiling at her baffled husband.

"Peter," Dad says giving him a Caffrey grin.

"Morning Peter" the four of us kids say in total unison.

"Hi guys" he says looking at us. He takes a deep breath and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"_You're on my couch_," he says stating the obvious fact.

_"Yeah, I came to talk to you, and -" _dad_ says and then turns to Elizabeth - "frankly, Peter, I'm surprised you have such an amazing wife."_

You're not the only one buddy.

Peter just smiles agitatedly. "_Yeah, I like her_." The he uses the hand that's not holding Gabbs up and motions with his thumb. "_Get off my couch."_

"_Honey, we're just chatting,"_ Elizabeth says in a tone that reveals she really likes my dad, not that I'm shocked or anything.

"_Chatting? How did you get here?"_ he asks dad dumfounded.

"_Cab,_" Dad answers simply shrugging his shoulders.

"_You activated your __tracker_," Peter says looking at dad's leg where I know the monitoring anklet is positioned.

Dad just shrugs like 'hey what are you going to do."

Me and Braden exchange a look of laughter.

_"You're in my house, on my couch, with my wife!"_ Peter shouts annoyed.

It's kind of funny really. Dad and Elizabeth look at lot alike and with four kids who (other than Gabbs auburn curls), all have dark curly hair and striking blue eyes that match the both of theirs; we definitely look like the picture perfect family. Now if we could just get rid of Peter…

Dad starts petting Satchmo's head, who is lying by his feet, and talking to him in the voice he reserves for little kids.

_"Now you're petting my dog,_" Peter says throwing his free arm up and rolling his eyes.

_"Did you really put Elizabeth under surveillance before you asked her out?"_ Dad asks lifting his head to look at his handler.

Elizabeth had just told dad the story of how Peter asked her out. It was kind of creepy, but hey that's Peter for ya.

"_Peter I underestimated you_" dad says with the grin back in place.

_"You told him,"_ Peter tells his wife in disbelief.

_"Oh, he said he wanted to make sure I wasn't seeing anybody else,_" Elizabeth says to us and then adds looking towards Peter "_Honey, I think it's cute!"_

_"I think it's adorable,"_ Dad replies giving Peter a new type of grin.

"More like stalker" Braden says making his voice go hi. I nod my head in agreement and try to stifle a laugh, looking at Peter who looks murderous.

Instead of ending my life physically, he pulls out his phone, presses a button and instead decides to complete his act metaphorically. _"I'm putting you back in prison_."

I start to jump from my seat next to Elizabeth to go physically end his life, when she grabs my shirt and pulls me back down so I'm leaning on her shoulder.

"_I know who the Dutchman is,"_ dad says looking seriously.

Peter stops mid-call and looks at dad "_Enlighten me."_

Dad casually leans back and says "_Curtis Hagen."_

Peter looks at dad confused as if to say I'm gonna need more than that.

_"He's an art restorer. One of the best in the world, but his own work never took off. He's particularly good at Goya restorations. That's what this is, Peter," _dad says giving Peter yet another look_. "The bond is him showing off."_

_"Interesting theory. How do you prove it?"_ Peter says skeptically.

"_He signed it,"_ Dad answers shrugging.

_"I think we might of noticed a signature tucked in the corner."_

"Not unless you're this guy" I mumble under my breath.

It's just loud enough though for dad and Elizabeth to hear it. She stifles a laugh and dad flashing me a Cheshire cat grin. I give him a mirroring one, and for about the eight hundredth time this week, I feel proud to be his kid.

"Show him," Elizabeth says disrupting my thoughts. Dad slides over as Peter comes to sit down, looking at the forgery.

Dad hands him a mirror to get a better look. "_Look at the pants on the Spanish peasant_," Dad says, pointing. "_What do you see?"_

Peter just squints and I roll my eyes, sliding onto the floor next to my brothers and sister who Peter recently set down.

_"It's the initials C and H,"_ Dad says excitedly. He looks like a little kid whose just found his dad's missing wallet.

Peter looks from the forgery to dad and back _"I don't know. That's a stretch."_

Dad responds slightly offended "_This bond is a masterpiece. If I had done something this good, I would've signed it."_ He glances at me then because I know what he's thinking.

Don't say it I silently plead, but does anyone ever listen to Calley. The answer to that would be a firm no. _"Hey, the forgeries you caught me on, I signed them"_ dad says, and I smack my head.

Peter looks up at him, with a look between shock and disbelief "Where?"

_"Look at the bank seal under polarized light sometime" _dad says flatly. I shake my head, so you not only give yourself away, but also tell him where to look. Way to go genius.

Dad, ignorant of my thoughts about his IQ, says, _"Hagen is doing a church restoration on 3rd Street. We can stop by on our way in."_

Peter stares for a moment, contemplating his next move "_Fine. Meet me in the car."_

Dad nods in anticipation.

Peter sighs and motions to the door "_I'm gonna say goodbye to my wife now."_

"Oh, yeah," Dad says hoping up and heading for the door after placing kisses on all our heads. "Dinner tonight?" he asks me as we move to stand in the foyer with him.

"Sure, but school starts tomorrow so it can't be too late" I say strictly.

He laughs. "Look at you being all momish."

I punch him in the arm. "Well someone has to be the parent since you're as bad as a four year old."

"Four years old indeed" Peter says coming over to join us.

"What wrong with being four?" Grayson asks, a confused look on his face.

"Nothing buddy" dad says laughing, "Absolutely nothing."


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks again for all the reviews. Only own Callen and her siblings.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 11: Old Friends<p>

The rest of the day is pretty boring. Elizabeth has to run to her business and ends up dragging us with her. It's kind of boring. I just sit there messing with my phone while the little kids run around in the back, chasing a soccer ball they created out of packaging tape.

I'm sitting near the front window in a very comfortable chair when I hear a tap on the glass. I look up to see myself looking in to the darkest brown eyes i've ever seen. Surrounding those eyes is the face of a five-foot eleven boy with scraggly blond hair that's everywhere. Once he gets my attention, he motions for me to come outside. I look over at Elizabeth, and noticing she's engrossed in a deep conversation, I slip out the front door.

"Petey" I yell running over to the boy and giving him a hug.

"Hey Call" he says returning the gesture.

"What are you doing here" I ask him pulling back reluctantly.

"I could ask you the same thing Caffrey" he says, eyebrows arched in a way that makes him look even more adorable.

I smile at him and grab his face, turning it towards the window. "See the woman with the dark hair who's talking" he nods, "that's my foster mom, her names Elizabeth."

"Hmm" he says.

"What" I ask shooting him a look.

"You don't call people your foster mom. You got attached."

I swat him in the arm. "Yeah well I didn't have a choice. She's married to the guy who arrested my dad. And yes, I do actually like her."

"Wait, your foster parents are the ones responsible for your dad's prison sentence. And you actually like them" he says in utter disbelief.

"No, just Elizabeth. Peter's another story" I say, even though the Agent is kind of rubbing off on me. But I'll never admit that.

"The guy who arrested you're dad has the same name as me?" He laughs. "That's ironic."

I roll my eyes. "Actually your just Pete, not Peter so it's not the same thing."

He ignores me and continues. "Speaking of your dad how is he? I heard about his little escape."

"He's doing pretty well actually. He got out of prison like two days ago and is staying in this cool mansion. Actually the only problem is he's working for the feds."

"He's what" Pete asks, mouth slightly ajar.

"You heard me" I say and then explain the exact details of the release to him.

Oh my goodness. Here I am having this conversation with some boy, and you don't even know a thing about him.

Well, audience meet Pete Somerfield. Me and Petey have been best friends for about eight years now. My dad met his older brother Ben when we first moved here, and the two of them would run con's together. Unfortunately, Ben was shot and killed on a job five years ago. Ever since then Pete's been staying with his grandparents, but still finds time to come visit me (aka run cons with me). Which is good, because I kinda have a crush on him; if you didn't figure that out already.

"Wow, only your dad would be able to pull that off" he says laughing.

"Yeah" I say in agreement.

"So, you're dad's FBI and you're staying with the guy who caught him. Who would've thought?"

"Yeah but it's not that bad, besides I think the other's like having actual parents around" I say looking over at Elizabeth.

"Wait others?" he asks curiously.

"Yeah, I have a brother remember" I say knocking him on the head.

"I know, but you said other's as in plural. Last I checked it was just Braden" he raises his eyebrows at me, "Callen?"

"Oh yeah, I have four year old fraternal twin siblings also" I answer, shrugging like it's no big deal. He just stares. "You remember Alex?"

"The fence who had a thing for your dad?" he asks.

"That's the one. Well turns out she did more than just flirt with him because she's got two kids walking around with a combo of her and dad's DNA" I say rolling my eyes.

"The things a guy misses in three months" he mumbles. "So let me get this straight; you're dad has four kids with three different girls?" He says it with a smirk on his face and eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, love the guy but he doesn't always make the smartest decisions" I say jokingly.

"I'll say" he says playfully. "So where you going to school?"

It's amazing how he can change topics just like that. "Cityview Prep" I say rolling my eyes.

"No way, me too" he says eye's wide.

"Seriously?" I ask a little stunned.

"Yeah, my grandpa thought it would be good for my character after having lived with Ben" he says, "Plus he got sick of me getting kicked out of public school."

"Agent Burke just wanted to torture me" I say laughing.

"Yeah, well you'll be fine. I can pretty much guarantee you'll have that school under your charm in less than a week" he says confidently.

"You think" I say looking him in the eye.

"No, I know. You're Callen Caffrey, world's greatest junior con man. I have no doubts in my mind" he says flashing me his pearly whites which stand out against his tan skin.

I slug him, dad's right I have been doing that a lot lately. "You'll still hang with me just in case though right?"

"Course, but trust me you won't need me" he says continuing to smile.

"I'll always need you Petey" I say smiling back.

"Thanks, you really know how to make a guy feel special" He says, his tone serious. "Well I gotta go, told grandma I'd be home by three. But I'll see you tomorrow." He leans in and gives me hug, "See you round Caffrey."

"Bye Pete" I call after him. I continue to stand there for a moment watching him walk away, when the door behind me opens.

"So, who's the cutie" a voice says from behind me.

I jump and turn around to see Elizabeth eyeing me suspiciously. "Just an old friend" I say returning to the store.

…...

Three hours later, Elizabeth drops us off at June's and tells us to call her when we're done. We say our good-byes, and then bound up the stairs to dad's apartment. When I push open the door, I find dad setting the table and a short little man with glasses drinking a glass of wine.

"Daddy" the little kids yell running to him.

I turn to the other figure, "Mozzie" I say with total spite.

He moves his glass out of the way and gulps. I shoot him daggers and march over to his spot at the end of the table, and stand in front of him.

Out of the corner of my eye I can see dad stop moving, the little kids still hanging on him.

Mozzie leans back slowly, but I'm quicker. I grab him by his collar and pull him close to my face.

"Where've ya been Moz?" I ask threateningly. He just gulps. "I'm waiting" I say, my patience's growing thinner by the second.

"Around" he says taking another gulp.

"Around" I laugh, "I haven't seen you in three months and have been living with an FBI agent because you've been 'around'. You could've helped; you know you didn't have to leave all the time. " I'm yelling now.

"Callen" dad says wrapping his arms around my back and gripping my hands. "Let's not kill the man."

He slowly helps me release my grip and holds me tightly to prevent any further beatings. "Fine, but you better have brought presents" I say making a fist a shoving it towards his face as best I can with my dad preventing movement.

"I did" he says reaching for a bag sitting by his feet. Dad lets me go, satisfied that I'm not gonna kill our dear old friend.

I take a seat in one of the chairs at the table as the other kids gather around to see what the little man came bearing. Mozzie reaches into the bag and pulls out a baseball glove and baseball. He hands them to Braden who's really excited by his present. Then Mozzie turns to look at the twins who are hanging one on each of dad's arms.

"So these are Alex's" Mozzie asks looking at dad expectantly.

"Yup" dad answers, "this here is Gabby, and this one is Grayson."

Mozzie studies the twin's for a minute. "Well, the girl definitely looks like her, and the boy might as well be a clone. You sure this isn't some sort of conspiracy" he asks raising his eyebrows.

"I'm sure Moz" dad states rolling his eyes.

"If you say so. In that case, here." Mozzie holds out two packages. One wrapped in blue, the other in pink. How very cliché of him.

The twins hesitate for a moment but then jump at the chance for a present. They rip open their presents. Gabby's reveals a new baby doll I recognize from the American Girl store, and Gray's contains a new hot wheels track and some cars.

"Awesome" they shout giving the stranger a hug.

"Looks like you're still the favorite uncle" dad says smiling.

I raise my eyebrows and shot Mozzie a look, my eyes darting between him and the toys.

"What" he says, "Russian surplus sells more than just electronics."

"Mmhum" I say rolling my eyes.

"Speaking of electronics" he says pulling something out of his bag.

I grab it from him, flipping it over in my hands. "A camera huh?"

"It's got a special lens so you can see behind you too" he says trying to sell the camera to me as an apology.

I flip it over in my hands and eye him closely, "You're free to live another day."

He lets out the breath he was holding and I smile a bit at his displeasure. Dad comes over and clasps me on the shoulder.

"Who wants Chinese?"

The little kids all shout "I do" and I'm about to grab the phone for dad when I spot a folder sitting on the counter. Dad sees me eyeing it and lunges forward, but I'm faster.

I open it up and find a picture of Kate inside. I look up eyeing the grown men standing shoulder to shoulder, a worried look passing between them.

"Kate, really" I say quietly so the little kids who are playing with their toys in the next room can't hear me.

"Callen" dad warns.

"No, she left you, dumped your kids the second you got arrested and broke up with you. Why would you look for her?" I say it kind of mean, but I can't help it I'm angry.

"I think she's in danger" he says quietly.

I take a deep breath. "Dad think about this."

"I love her" he says trying his best to hide all emotions. I hate it when he does that.

"I know you do, but does she?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN2: Okay so I realize that her best friend has similair name to Peter's and I momentairly forgot that when I thought up the charcter, but by the time I figured it out the name had already stuck and I just couldn't change it.<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Only Callen, friends and teachers belong to me. :)**

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><p>Chapter 12: First Impressions<p>

"Callen honey, you're going to be late for school" Elizabeth says nicely as she knocks on my door.

"I'm coming" I moan into my pillow. I'm so tired after last night.

After my one sided argument with dad, we ate dinner and talked; but it was quiet on my end. I of course apologized to him afterwards, saying I was just mad at Kate for hurting him. Even though that's technically the truth, I still do hate her.

I roll out of bed, literally, and stand up brushing my bed head out of my eyes. I turn to my dresser and pull a pair of jeans out, then stumble to my closet and pull out a cute red and blue plaid button down to put on over a light blue cammi that matched my eyes. I put my hair into a loose braid over my shoulder and pop in a pair of short silver corkscrew earrings. Satisfied with my outfit, I pull out my purple Converse, grab my backpack and descend down the stairs.

Walking into the dining room, I take a look at my siblings who are eating their cereal. Braden's in a pair of cargo shorts and a white long sleeved soccer jersey, Grayson's in a pair of Khakis and a polo (typical he'd dress like dad), and Gabbs in a cute pink jumper with polka dotted leggings. That has to be the only good thing about City Prep, they don't require uniforms. Thank goodness.

"Morning sweetheart" Elizabeth says kissing the top of my head and placing a plate of waffles with bacon in front of me.

"Yum" I say taking a bite, "Elizabeth these are delicious."

"Well I don't want you to be hungry on your first day" she says smiling and tying one of Grayson's boots.

Peter comes down the stairs in a rush. "Coffee" Elizabeth says handing him a travel cup.

"Bye hon" he says giving her a kiss. "And you" he says pointing to us "no trouble, I've already got one Caffrey causing me trouble I don't need any more."

"Yes sir" Braden says and we all start giggling. Peter just rolls his eyes.

…...

Thirty minutes later Elizabeth drop's me off in front of the high school before taking the little kids to the elementary school. "You'll do great" she says kissing my cheek.

"I know" I say smiling.

I climb out of the car and wave good-bye. I stand there for a minute checking out the groups of kids. It looks like a bunch of average high school students. Some kids are in groups, others are loners; most of them are just goofing off. Stupid rich teenagers completely ignorant of any real world hardships. I decide it's now or never, so I throw my aviators and walk towards the buildings entrance.

Walking in to the building, I head up the stairs to my locker. I grab some books and then close the door revealing Pete behind it.

"Caffrey" he says smiling.

"Somerfield" I respond.

"So, scope out the scene yet?" he asks looking over his shoulder.

I reach in to my pocket and pull out a few wallets. "That answer your question" I ask handing them to him.

"Hmm, so you already started the fun without me" he says sounding wounded. "How come?"

"I'm a Caffrey duh" I say grabbing half the wallets from him, "Couldn't let a great talent like that wait for an impaitent boy like yourself."

"Well you are good" he says.

"Only the best" I reply as we walk, throwing the wallets in random spots as we pass.

"What's up first? I got history."

"Same."

"Ah, this should be fun" he says as we head into our shared first hour class.

We walk in the room and notice two empty seats in the center of the well decorated class room that's covered in history timelines and posters.

"That's Morgan Edger, I got word that she's the one to worry about" he says as we sit in our seats next to the girl with the brown eyes and golden locks talking to three others.

"Spill" I tell him, and I can't help but be reminded of the old times when we're just little kids running street cons and he'd provide the information on the marks.

"Cheerleader, dating a sophomore football player, and was the 8th grade class president, her dad owns some big marketing business, that's her uh clique I guess you could call it" he says rolling his eyes.

"Sounds like she belongs on a TV show" I say mockingly.

"What are you gonna do?" he asks knowing that the look I'm currently wearing spells trouble with a capital T.

"You'll see" I whisper deviously.

For the next hour we listen to our teacher, Mr. Raphael (clever name for a history teacher), tell us about what we're going to be learning this year and then gives us our first homework assignment to read about the renaissance. As we walk out of the classroom I slide past Morgan and lift her phone as Pete bumps into her as the distraction. As we walk out of the classroom I flash a welcoming smile at Morgan who ignores it, and then round to meet with Pete.

"What are you gonna do with that?" he asks even though he already knows the answer.

"Homework" I say smiling. "I already completed the first since we all know how Caffrey's are with history, so this gives me something to do."

"Smooth" he says smiling. "So care to fill me in?"

I sigh and roll my eyes at his obliviousness. "I'm getting to know the mark."

"I figured, but why her?" he asks confused.

"You said she was at the top right." He nods. "Well, wouldn't you agree that a game is only fun if you have a worthy opponent."

He shrugs his shoulders and makes a motion with his head like he's thinking, and then says "but Caffrey, there is no one, and I mean no one that could be an equal match for you." He says smirking his trade-mark con grin. Which by the way isn't even close to as good as mine.

"Thanks Petey, I appreciate that. But I guess I'll have to do with what I got, now copy the SIM card" I say tossing him a burner phone I just happened to have borrowed from Mozzie yesterday. He rolls his eyes but complies.

"Here" he says handing me back the burn phone, "Now what?"

"Now the games begin and you get to slip the phone back into her pocket" I say as we start to walk down the hallway again.

He stops, "why me?"

"Because you have math with her next" I say like it's obvious. He looks at me and opens his mouth to ask how I knew he had Geometry next, or that she was in his class. I cut him off by handing him his and Morgan's schedule.

He takes it and mumbles something that sounds kind of profane as he turns towards the math hallway. I just chuckle and run down to the art department so as to not be late. I make it with a minute to spare and take a seat next to a girl with brown hair that's pulled up into a messy bun, and is wearing jeans covered in splatter paint.

As the teacher gives us a sheet of paper for us to write our names down, I start talking to the girl. As it turns out Abbey, which I discovered was her name, and I have math and Bio together. She seems really nice and is totally into art, especially classical stuff. She tells me about some of her favorite paintings, which I recognize. She's shocked by how much I know about the renaissance painters since not many kids do, my dad will definitely like her.

I also learn that she plays soccer and that there are tryouts for the team today after school, which I decide to go to since I've always wanted to play. When the bell rings, we walk to our math class together and I can hear my dad's voice echoing in my ear, "Told you you'd make a friend."

Yeah dad you were right, this place isn't half bad.

….

The rest of the morning seems to go by fairly quick. Third period I have math with Abbey where I get a big book and a page of homework problems; courtesy of a very distracted looking Mrs. Lewis. Fourth period's gym with Coach W. (he's a really big scary looking guy whose looks don't match his character at all), where I meet Lucas who happens to be Abbey's best friend. He's kind of nerdy, but not in like the loser way (if that makes any sense) because he's actually got athletic qualities. They're nowhere near mine and Pete's natural athletic talent, but at least he's not hopeless.

Fifth hour is lunch, so me and Luc head to the cafeteria where we find Pete and Abbey. We grab a table in the back and I start with introductions.

"Abbey, Luc, this is my best friend Pete Somerfield. Pete meet Abbey Barnes and Lucas Russell." I say gesturing to my new friends.

"Hey" Pete says nodding at the two of them. "So how'd you guys meet?"

"Me and Callen have art together" Abbey says biting into her turkey sandwich.

"Really, well I hope you're better than Call here because she's awful" Pete says stealing my French Fries.

I roll my eyes. "Actually Abbey's really good, she was showing me some of her work, show him" I say motioning towards Abbey's tube of paintings she carries around with her.

She pulls out a few and hands them to Pete. "They're not that good" she says shyly.

Pete unwinds the pictures and his jaw drops the same way mine did. "Abbey, this looks like the real thing" he says holding up a copy of a Raphael.

"Or the forgery of the real thing" I say shrugging and biting into my sorry excuse for a pizza. "Either way it's incredible."

"What?" she asks confused.

I set the soggy pizza down and turn to face her. "See, that exact painting was swapped for a forgery about five years ago. So if you painted this by looking at the one hanging in the gallery down town, then you're painting would technically match the forgery not the real thing."

"That paintings not real?" she says eyes wide.

"It was at some point, but no it isn't. The real one is probably hanging in some rich guy's house on the other side of the world right about now." I say starting to eat my pizza again.

"And you know that how?" Lucas asks ignoring the burnt hamburger he was previously picking at.

Pete shrugs. "We know people."

"Like who?" Lucas asks both sarcasm and curiosity lacing his voice.

"All sorts of people" I say mysteriously.

"Okay" Abbey says giving us an odd look. "I'm gonna assume that means I don't really want to know."

"No you probably don't" me and Pete say at the same time.

"So Lucas, what do you like to do?" Pete says looking at his sandwich and deciding against eating it.

Luc takes a swig of his soda. "Um, I'm good with computers."

"What like hacking?" Pete asks, his intrest peeking.

Luc shrugs, "I guess, I mean I've never acctually hacked into anything but it probably wouldn't be that hard to figure out."

Pete nods his approval and then turns to me when Abbey and Luc arn't looking and whispers, "I like them. They could be useful someday if we ever want to run something."

I just smile at him because I of course am already aware of that.

Once we finish eating the gross cafeteria food, I go to my French class which really is a waste of my time. Mr. Bauer told my teacher, Madame Kuhn, that I was fluent in French, and after having a two minute conversation with her she said I could be like a teacher's assistant and help out with the lessons. So basically, I have to work. After that, I go to Biology with Abbey and Lucas. Our teacher Mr. Gunk, yes that's his name, is kind of like this psycho crazy looking guy who I'm pretty sure has some sort of disorder because he kept yelling out random words and throwing things. It was a really strange experience.

My last class of the day is English, and if I thought THE GUNK was weird, just wait till you hear about this woman. Ms. Venderson is this really short woman with ugly purplish red colored hair and a crooked looking nose. She was wearing this Zebra print skirt that not only matched her sweater, but the entire classroom as well. The whole thing was literally covered in zebra and cheetah print rugs, lamp shade, chairs, and anything else you could think of. She also clearly did not understand what personal space was, because she'd get right in your face. The other sucky thing is that Morgan's in this class too and she kept shooting me these weird looks, not that I really cared. When the bell rang signaling the end of the day, I darted out of the classroom before that crazy woman could say anything to me, and went to find Abbey. I zap a quick text to Elizabeth asking her if I can stay for tryouts to which she responds _Of course. Good Luck! I'll pick you up in an hour and a half._ She really is great at being a mom, and again I wonder why they never had kids of their own.

After getting changed into some shorts and a practice jersey, courtesy of Abbey, we head out to the field. There, I meet the head coach, Coach Baker. He's a twenty-eight year old who played college soccer at Notre Dame. He's really nice and kinda cute too. Anyways, back to the actual practice, it went really well. And I'm not usually one for gloating. Okay actually I love to gloat, I get that from dad, but in all honesty it really was a good tryout. Coach Baker pulled me over to the side and asked where I had played club because he said and I quote "Your amazing kid", and that is not me gloating. When I told him that I hadn't, his mouth dropped open.

"Wha Wha Where did you learn to play like that then?" he asks stammering.

"We didn't have a lot of money, so my dad got me a soccer ball and I would spend hours playing in the alley behind our apartment to kill time" I say shrugging my shoulders.

"Well, if taught yourself how to play like that, then I wonder what a little coaching would do" he says running his hands through his hair. "You could have a real promising career."

That's definitly not the first time I've heard that phrase. Although this is the first time it was about soccer...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: As little side note I wanted to say that last year I actually did have an English teacher exactly like Ms. Venderson, who you will definitly see more from in this story. She was probably one of the best teachers i have ever had, but she was also the strangest. She literally wore some sort of animal print everday and would lean over your desk when she talked to you. It was really awkward. Okay, enough with my rambling. Promise to update soon!<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Thanks again for all the reviews. I never expected this story to get this much of a response. **

**Disclaimer: Only own Callen and friends**

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><p>Chapter 13: New Conversations<p>

"How'd it go" Elizabeth asks as I climb into the front seat of the car.

"Tryouts or school?" I answer with another question.

"Tryouts" she says as though she's been waiting to hear the answer for hours.

I turn in my seat to face her getting ready to say my answer very calmly, but instead I blurt out excitedly "I made varsity."

Okay so that is so not how I wanted to tell her, but whatever it'll do.

"Callen honey, that's great!" She says it proudly which makes me even happier. She really does care.

"Thanks" I say smiling at the closest person I've ever had to a mother.

"Sure sweetie" she says kissing the top of my head. "I'm so proud of you."

Now I really do feel like I'm home. I look up at her and smile; she just gives me a knowing one in return. "So how was the school part of the day?"

I dive right into the retelling how my day went. I tell her about everything (well I leave out the part about the pocket picking), Abbey, Lucas, Pete, and all my crazy teachers. She laughs at the image of Ms. Venderson and tells me I am going to have to get a picture for her.

By the time we pull up in front of Casa de la Burke I've finished the account of my day, and I actually enjoyed being able to tell someone about it. For the past four years, I haven't really had anyone to talk to. I mean Brady's a sweet kid but he's not too good at conversations.

We head into the house and I'm immediately bombarded by two little moppets running from the kitchen.

"Hey guys" I say lifting Grayson onto my hip while Gabby hugs my leg. They immediately launch into how their day went. I try to listen to them as I watch Elizabeth thank her co-worker for babysitting the little kids and then goes to start diner. I've been listening to the twins babble for ten minutes when Elizabeth asks if they want to help. They jump at the chance and I silently thank her as I take a seat at the dining room table to start my math homework.

When I hear the door open two hours later, I'm in the middle of finishing up my biology reading. Peter hangs his coat up and comes up behind me.

"Protein Synthesis" he says reading the heading at the top of the page.

"Yeah, it's really exciting" I say sarcastically. He just snorts.

"So was school the torture chamber you made it ought to be?" he asks taking a seat across from me.

"I never said it was torture, I merely suggested that it would be better if it had some presents to go along with it" I tell him setting the annoying book aside for the time being.

He rolls his eyes. "What's with the outfit?" he asks motioning to the mesh tryout jersey I still have on over my t-shirt.

"Oh that, I tried out for the soccer team today" I say shrugging my shoulders and reaching for a highlighter.

"So did that incredible athletic ability you claim to have do you any good?" he asks sarcastically.

I just smile back at him. "As a matter of fact it did. The coach thought I was amazing. And I am not exaggerating that."

"Well congrats then, I guess that means I have to come to games now since your dad will want to watch." He says it so that it sounds like it would be a chore to have to go to my games, but the gleam in his eye says he's actually excited.

I decide to let him have his moment though. "Guess so" I say picking my bio book back up.

He chuckles and then his face becomes suddenly serious. "Do you know your dad's friend who secretly passes him information?"

"Excuse me" I say setting my book down and giving the agent a curious look.

He just rolls his eyes. "You know what I'm talking about."

"No Peter I don't, you're not making any sense" I say giving him a blank stare. Of course I know exactly who he's talking about. Mozzie is after all the best source since he knows like everyone.

"You and your dad think I'm blind don't you" he says throwing his hands up.

I give him my best innocent look in return. "Peter, I would never think of you in such a fashion."

He just rolls his eyes and gets up to help set the table.

I start packing up my stuff, all the while doing a silent victory dance in my head because right now the score is Callen: 3 Peter: 0.

…

After dinner I head upstairs to grab a shower since I still smell gross from tryouts. Once that's done I decide to call dad and tell him about my first day of school. Normally we would have had this conversation back when I was five (like I know he did with the others earlier since they had called him right after school), but since when is anything with me ever normal. I pick up my phone and press the number one on my speed dial. He picks up on the third ring.

"Hello" he says.

"Hey dad" I say enthusiastically.

"Call, hey kiddo what's up? I thought you forgot about me for a while there" he laughs.

"Me forget about you, I don't think that's possible agent Caffrey" I say smiling even though I know he can't see it.

"Agent, don't let Peter hear you say that" he says and I can tell he's smiling too.

"I won't" I respond laughing.

"Good. So how was your first day if school?" he asks sounding really interested.

I shrug even though he can't see it. "It was alright. I have some really weird teachers though."

"How so" he asks. And so I begin to tell him everything about my teachers from the way they look to their teaching styles.

"Wow" he says once I finish, "sounds like you're going to have an interesting year."

"You think" I say sarcastically rolling my eyes.

He just laughs. "Alright so how many people did you charm into being your friend?"

"Dad I don't have to charm people, the just naturally like me" I tell him faking seriousness.

I know he's rolling his eyes. "Isn't there a saying about how you shouldn't boost your own ego?"

"You tell me" I respond. "And to answer your question I now have three friends. Well two new ones at least."

"Who's the old one?" he asks sounding confused.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you I ran into Pete Somerfield yesterday and it turns out he goes to Cityview too" I say. I can't believe I forgot to tell him yesterday.

"So of all the places you could have gone to school, you end up in the same one as your best friend" he says laughing.

"Yup, lucky right" I say laughing with hm.

"Well I hope your other friends can keep you two in line, otherwise that school is going to be in a whirlwind of trouble" he mumbles.

"Don't worry dad, me and Pete will stay out of trouble, I promise." I say crossing my fingers behind my back.

"I wouldn't even bet a penny on it" he replies. Aw, he knows me so well. "So who are these other two kids who have been subjected to your antics?"

"Lucas Russell and Abbey Barnes" I reply. "Luc's kinda nerdy; you know good with computers and stuff. But he's actually pretty funny. And Abbey, dad you're gonna love Abbey."

"And why's that?" he asks clearly interested.

"She's an amazing artist dad and not the abstract kind either. She knows probably as much about the renaissance painters as you do. She showed me a Raphael she copied from the one at the gallery downtown and it's almost as good as the one that's there." We both now that the one hanging on display downtown is his but as Mozzie puts it, you never know who might be listening.

"Hmm" he says after I finish, "I just might have to meet this friend of yours."

"Sure, you can do it at my soccer game next week" I say casually, waiting for him to realize what I just said.

"Sounds good" he says and then stops, "wait soccer game?"

I smile brightly, "Yeah, there were soccer tryouts at school today and me and Abbey made varsity so you can meet her after the game next week."

"Varsity, megabyte that's amazing. Congratulations kiddo" he says the proudness evident in his voice.

"Thanks dad" I say still smiling. "You're gonna be there right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

It's amazing how that one statement means more to me than anything else he's ever said. Because he can actually be there.

"Great, well I hate to cut the conversation short but I've still got an essay to write for my English class so I got to go" I say actually disappointed I can't talk to him longer. Hindsight being what it was, I should've spent the night at the apartment but hey at least I got to talk to him. I mean it could be a lot worse.

"Look at you being all studious" he says.

"Just playing the part" I reply. "Night dad, love you."

"Love you too megabyte, talk to you latter." With that we hang up and I groan realizing I'm going to have to start writing the stupid paper about what we expect to learn from our English class. Is homework always so tedious?

By the time I finish the one page report it's after eleven. And they expect us to do this every night and then get up and go back at eight the next day.

I power down my new laptop and drag myself to the bathroom to brush my teeth deciding that whoever invented school must have been on something when he thought up the idea.

Finally managing to actually make it to my bed and sliding under the covers, I try to make myself comfortable.

Of course my insomnia decided to pick tonight to make itself present. When I finally do manage to fall asleep, it doesn't last long before I hear stumbling coming from down the hall.

Peter. He's on the phone talking to someone and moving quickly. I glance over at the clock to see what time it is, cause there's no way it's seven already.

Nope, it's four.

Not wanting to wait any longer to find out whats going on, I hop out of bed and creep down the hall as Peter almost runs smack into me.

"Callen" he says kind of sorrowful.

"Yeah" I stutter. Wait, he called me Callen. He never does that.

I start to panic and am already freaking out when he says "Your dad's gone."


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Sorry it took so long to update, I was at my grandparents all weekend and didn't have any time. Thanks again to all who reviewed. And sorry in advance, this chapters really short. **

**Only own Callen!**

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><p>Chapter 14: Smarter than the FBI<p>

My first thought was of the picture I had seen last night. The one of Kate. His girlfriend he thought needed rescuing.

"What" I manage to get out through my labored breathing.

Peter just stares, unsure of what to do as I slowly slide down the wall I was leaning on. He must have yelled for Elizabeth because she kneeling by my side in seconds.

"Honey what's wrong?" she asks running her finger through my hair.

I don't respond though because I'm trying to breathe and think at the same time.

He found Kate, he had to have. There's no other reason he would leave. I mean I just talked to him a few hours ago. He was talking about meeting my friends and coming to soccer games. And now he's gone.

Somewhere in the back of my mind it registers that there is something off but I ignore it, my anger clouding my thoughts.

I look up at Peter who's still hovering, unsure of what to do.

Taking a breath to regain some of my composure I say "He is so dead when you find him."

Peter looks a little shocked and now it's his turn to ask "what?"

Elizabeth is still sitting next to me and I can tell she's wondering the same thing.

The easy answer is that I'm thinking my dad's an idiot. I mean how many times is he going to get sent to prison for Kate. Not to mention the fact that he has clearly picked her over us again. So basically I'm thinking that when he gets caught this time, cause I know he will since he's wearing that dumb tracking anklet, that I am going to him rather than Peter like I would normally want to.

I'm about to tell Peter this when it hits me. The anklet.

"Peter" I practically shout jumping up, the potential attack have suddenly vanished. "Is the anklet still responding?"

"Um yeah" he says warily as helps Elizabeth up.

I smile happily, I knew something was off. "He didn't run."

I run into slipping a pair of flip-flops on my feet, I run back into the hallway to find Peter and Elizabeth still trying to figure out what was wrong with me.

"Well don't just stand there, you've got a criminal to catch" I say as I take off down the stairs.

I can hear his footsteps behind me. "Callia you're not making any sense" he says grabbing my arm to stop me from exiting the house.

"Would you please just call me Callen already, it really would make things easier" I say prying out of his grasp. "And for the record you're an idiot" I tell him walking out the door and towards the car.

"Excuse me?" he says, but I do note that he's still following me with keys in hand.

"Well if you're not, though you clearly are, then tell me Mister FBI: Why would the anklet still be responding if he ran?"

"I'm not following" he says moving towards the driver's side of the car.

I roll my eyes. I am clearly going to have to spell this out word for word.

"If my dad ran, the he would have cut his anklet so you couldn't track him" I say slowly so he understands. "He didn't cut it because he wants you to find him. Can you follow that?"

He stares for a minute and then suddenly his eyes light up signaling he got it.

It's about time.

He pulls out his phone and stars dialing. "Get in the car" he says climbing in himself.

"Wait you're actually going to let me come with" I say sliding in the passenger side.

He ignores me and puts the phone on Bluetooth as the other end picks up.

"Jones, its Peter. Where's Caffrey's location" he says.

We both listen to the address and it's my turn to stare at Peter as a slow smile creeps across his face.

"Okay, get a team and meet me at that location" he says and then hangs up.

He stares at the road, while I stare at him.

"What?" he asks.

I punch him in the arm and a feeling of de' ja vu sweeps over me.

"Ow" he states blandly. I just roll my eyes.

"He didn't run" he says still smiling.

"No, really? Did I not just say that" I tell him very sarcastically.

Now it's his turn to roll his eyes as he proceeds to explain his sudden giddiness.

Guess what? I'm smarter than the FBI.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey, sorry yesterday's update was so short. School and everthing else starts in a week so it might take longer for me to update and the chapters might not be as long as normal, but I'll do my best.**

**Only Callen is mine. **

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><p>Chapter 15: Always Right<p>

We pull up in front of an old warehouse by the water and Peter shuts the car off. Turns out, surprise surprise, I was right. Dad did not run. He was giving Peter a reason to arrest The Dutchman. Remember him, the guy who inadvertently changed my life forever?

"Stay here" he says sternly.

I raise my eyebrows at him. "Since when do I ever do as I'm told?"

"Look, you're in shorts and a t-shirt, with practically no shoes on, and its cold out. You're staying here." He climbs out of the car and stands up ordering directions at people, still smiling.

I laugh and then hop out of the car and follow him.

"I thought I said stay" Peter says coming up next to me.

"And I thought it was pretty well understood that I don't listen, especially to you" I say flashing him my biggest Caffrey grin.

He leans his head back and pinches his nose. A move that seems to be frequent when me or dad are around.

"Fine, but stay close" he says turning back to face one of his agents. I smirk at this because yet again the great Callen Caffrey has beat Agent Burke.

I run to catch up with Peter as he walks with the woman.

"_This is what the law calls an exigent circumstance. Any of you Harvard grads know what this is? Huh? No hands? Diana_" Peter says as we walk through a maze of people some in FBI coats, others in criminal looking clothes.

"_Exigent circumstance allows us to pursue a suspect onto private property without obtaining a warrant" _Diana says smirking.

"_And to seize any and all evidence that has been discovered in plain view regardless on the connection to the original crime"_ I finish looking at Peter smiling. "See I learned for than just how to evade the law from that FBI book."

I wait for him to yell at me for butting in, but instead he clasps a hand on my shoulder and says, "That's exactly right. See people, even the fourteen year old knows that."

He laughs and I smile up at him. Maybe he's not so bad after all. He pushes me forward as we walk past a stocky man with a burly one standing behind him. Peter glances down at me and then says to the two being handcuffed, "_Hey. Remember me, friend? Oh there´s your lawyer."_

I laugh, like literally laugh and he does too. "See, being the cop is fun too" he says looking down at me.

"I can see that. Nothing like busting a bad guy at four a.m." I say mockingly.

We walk to the back office and I can see my dad sitting on top of a big oak desk smoking a cigar. I turn to Peter and he lets go of my shoulder as I fly through the door and practically tackle my dad making him fall back a bit.

"Hey there kiddo" he says after setting the cigar down.

"Hi dad" I say in return. After a few seconds I let go and step back to look at him. "You know, you scared Peter quite a bit when he got that phone call" I tell him.

"Oh really, I scared Peter?" He says it as question which makes me giggle.

"Yeah, and Elizabeth. You should have seen the look on their faces, total terror" I add.

"Just them" he asks faking mock hurt.

"The little kids were still asleep so they don't even know what happened" I tell him.

"And what about you" he says picking up the cigar again.

"I came for backup. You know, just in case Peter had a heart attack while he was driving from all that worry" I mock.

"So you weren't worried" he say raising his eyebrows.

I just smile. "Me worried, never. Besides someone had to decode your message for Peter."

He starts laughing and I join with him until we hear someone clear their voice from the doorway.

"_You know, you're really bad at this escape thing."_ Peter says coming in to join us.

"_What can I say? Cigar?"_ dad asks him holding out his hand containing the object in question. I walk around the desk and take a seat in the spiny chair, my favorite kind, and prop my feet up on the desk for the perfect view to see how this plays out.

"_Cuban?"_ Peter asks in response to dad's question.

Dad nods, "_You should arrest me."_

I sit still and wait for Peter's response. Even though I have some sort of respect for Peter right now, I still don't entirely trust him.

"_I'll let the cigar go,"_ he says making me breathe a sigh of relief. But then he has to go and ruin it with, _"but you are a fleeing suspect."_

I'm about to stand up and tear Peter to shreds for real this time, when dad turns around, winks at me, and nods towards a locker in the back of the room.

"_Is that the original Victory Bond?"_ Peter asks at the exact same time I think it.

"_Why, yes. Yes it is."_ Dad says smiling from ear to ear.

Peter lets out a low laugh. _"You know this makes me three and O."_ He says it smiling and I guess I'm going to let him live yet another day.

"Maybe I'm not trying hard enough" Dad says to his handler and then turning to look me straight in the eye says, "Or maybe I have what I need right here."

I smile back at him. "I win, I win" I sing in my head. But wait, he just said that he has everything he needs right here. But Kate's not here. Does this mean he gives up, that he's satisfied?

There's no way. He may be fine for now, but he's still in love with Kate. Something I still don't get. I guess I can think about that tomorrow though, because for today he's all I need.

"Callen" dad says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Yes."

"You coming or are you just going to sit there all day?" he asks with his eyebrows raised.

"Coming, definitely coming" I say hoping up to follow.

"Good cause school starts in three hours" Peter says smirking.

"On second thought I think I'll just stay here" I say stopping in my tracks.

"I don't" dad says turning around and coming at me.

"Yikes" I shout as he tries to grab me, but I'm faster. I jump out of the way and start running as he comes chasing after me.

We start running around like little kids and I can hear Peter say to Diana, who are both standing there watching, "I'm the foster parent of five kids aren't I?"

"You're the one who agreed to this boss" I hear her say as she pats him on the back.

He sighs, and you guessed it, leans back his head and pinches his nose.

He claps his hands really loud and dad stops swinging me around his shoulders and walks back over to Peter.

"Okay kids lets go home, you guys are way too hyper for five in the morning" he says rubbing his eyes as dad sets me down.

"Aw dad" we whine in unison. Cue more sighing and eye rolling from Peter. He turns around and starts walking out of the building.

Dad and me exchange glances and then burst out laughing as we chase after Peter.


	16. Chapter 16

**Okay, so this chapter is kind've sappy/cheesy. It's not one of my favorites, but I needed to write something to fill the void while I work on the next chapter. So basically it's a filler. Anyways I still hope you enjoy it and I'll try to update soon. **

**And of course, I don't own White Collar.**

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><p>Chapter 16: Good Intentions<p>

When I wake up the next morning I open my eyes and take in the warm sunlight streaming in from my bedroom window. Ah, Saturday. I don't think I've ever appreciated weekends this much. But then again, after the week I've had, a break feels really nice. And it already feels really good too.

After yesterday's early morning scare, I had a really long day at school. In first hour I ended up getting yelled at for talking to Pete and Mr. Raphael signaled me out and gave me a pop quiz on the lesson he had just given on the early Renaissance. Of course, being a Caffrey, I aced it. I mean I'm a wiz a history in general, but the Renaissance, come on I could teach that lesson without even looking at a book. If anything, being able to answer all his questions without even a little hesitation just made him even madder. So yay for that. Plus Morgan wouldn't stop giving me the evil eye all morning.

Second hour was better with Abbey around and gym wasn't too bad either thanks to Lucas's attempt at standup comedy. Math third hour though was a nightmare. Mrs. Lewis has to be the worst teacher ever, the lesson wasn't even that hard, she just seemed like there was something else she'd rather be doing.

During lunch I ended up having to explain why I looked dead to Pete which was not something I had planned on doing, and then on top of that Morgan purposely bumped into me in the lunch line (I got her back by tripping her in the hallway later). Apparently I've already put my name on her hate list. Which means the games can officially begin.

Okay, I not that starting a confrontation with another kid is really cheesy but let's face it, if I have to be stuck in that dumb place all day I might as well put my evil genius mind to use. Besides who doesn't love a good prank war?

The rest of the day was really slow and by the time soccer practice was over, I came home and dropped dead. But then, dad said Peter wanted to borrow the apartment as a surprise for his and Elizabeth's anniversary, so we got kicked out.

I spent five hours 'hanging out', and I use that term lightly, with two four year olds, an eight year old, my dad and the most paranoid man on earth (i.e. Mozzie), in the city. Which wouldn't have been that bad; except for the fact that we only had a two mile radius to work with! Do you have any idea how little there is to do within my father's limits. I'll give you a hint; not much. Granted two miles is pretty generous, but when you are limited to doing things that are suitable for toddlers… yeah, it's not really much.

So finally after being literally dragged around, we finally came home at eleven and I've been asleep since.

I stand up and stretch before grabbing a sweatshirt and slipping on my soccer slides. I slowly open up my door and completely regret it when I do.

Gabby is running around chasing her twin brother, and Brady's watching Saturday morning cartoons really loud. I rub my eyes and walk into the kitchen to grab something to eat, wondering where on earth my dad is. Wait, it's Saturday. Yesterday Peter mentioned that the bureau was going to make a decision on dad's release agreement. I slam the fridge that I just opened and run out onto the terrace where I find Peter standing there sipping a cup of June's Italian Roast, while dad is sitting in his chair doing the same still wearing his pajama's.

"Mornin' megabyte" he says grinning from ear to ear.

"Morning dad, Peter" I say looking skeptical.

"Callia" Peter nods.

"It's Callen" I say giving him an eye roll.

He just glares in return.

"Sleep well?" dad asks handing me a plate with a delicious looking cinnamon roll on it.

"Yup" I say vaguely reaching for the coffee. And then looking up at Peter I ask "Elizabeth like your anniversary gift?"

"She did" he says smiling. I can't say I'm not happy for him. He's been trying all week to find something special to do for the day since he forgot last year and almost forgot this year too had it not been for dad knowing everything about Peter. Finally after searching, he decided to decorate the terrace like the beach and then give Elizabeth tickets for a week vacation in the Caribbean.

"Good for you" I say smiling at him for the first time this morning.

He and dad just smile back. We're silently having a debate to see who will ask the question first, but after about thirty seconds I cave. "So what's the verdict, does he get to stay."

Peter and dad exchange a look and then they start laughing as dad tosses me a wallet looking thing. I open it up and find a picture (a really bad one by the way) of dad on a license with the words FBI Consultant next to it.

"So he stays?" I ask Peter excitedly.

"He stays" Peter says laughing and then lets out a grunt as I jump on him, giving him a hug.

"Sorry" I say attempting to fix his now wrinkled shirt. But I can't stop smiling.

"Congrats dad" I say turning to my beaming father, clearly amused by the recently played out scene. He just continues to smile.

"Okay" begins Peter interrupting our cheer, "You two stay out of trouble for the next week, especially you." He makes the gesture of pointing directly at me as he states that last part.

"Mois, when do I ever cause trouble" I say in my best innocent voice and give him my trademarked puppy dog look.

"Yeah, the picture of innocence" he says rolling his eyes. "Look, no skipping school, no going on dates, no scams or pick pocketing of any kind, no getting in trouble at school, and no parties." He stares me directly in the eyes.

"Yeesh take the fun out of everything why don't ya" I say sarcastically but when he gives me the agent look I add, "Fine, I'll behave." Note to self, me and Pete are definitely throwing a party at casa de la Burke. What, it's not like Peter will ever find out. Besides whats the worst that could happen?

"Good, see you in one week" and with that our dear friend Peter exits the terrace and goes to give a more abridged version of the same lecture to the younger Caffrey's.

"So you're staying" I say turning to dad.

"Yup" he nods.

"Good, I think I kind of like this arrangement. Minus the whole two mile radius thing, but it still beats having you locked up."

"Yes, it certainly does" he says eying me.

"What?" I ask innocently because I know he's going to want to talk about the other night and the sooner we get it over with the better.

"You don't want me to find Kate." It's not a question. I guess he finally got it through that head of his that his daughter is not all that fond of his girlfriend.

I gulp, but then figure I should be honest since that's not something I normally do. "No, I don't."

"Why" he asks and I can tell that although he's good at hiding his emotions, he's still hurt by this.

I cringe because I really hate being the cause for his pain, not to mention that this answer is more complicated than the last.

I take a deep breath and decide I'm going to have to eventually say something. "Look, I don't have anything against you for loving her. It's just, she didn't fight for you when you left for Copenhagen and broke up the first time. Then you come back, she's gone leaving me and Braden with Mozzie. Not to mention the fact that you obviously weren't all that in love with her to being with since you know who happened."

He opens his mouth to defend himself but I cut him off. "I don't care if you did it out of pity for yourself or whatever it still happened. And don't even try to deny it because you have two toddlers as proof, which Kate didn't even know about when she dumped you the second time. Plus if you do remember, she left me and Braden in foster care over a year before I even found the twins."

I could see his anger boiling and he was preparing to yell at me when he stopped at hearing that last sentence. "What?" was all he could say.

Oops. I can't believe I forgot he didn't know. Crap. "Uh, nothing" I say quickly.

"Kate left you guys in foster care before we broke up" he says in disbelief.

I nod realizing I'm going to have to tell him now.

"She wouldn't, she didn't" he starts.

"Dad, I know you don't want to believe it but it happened. If you don't believe me ask Peter, I made him promise not to tell you."

"Peter knew?" he asks as he stands up and starts pacing.

More nodding.

"Why didn't she tell me?" he asks sounding hurt and confused.

I shrug. "I don't really know?" "Or care" I add to myself.

"Why didn't you tell me or Mozzie? You wrote letters all the time. Why didn't you say anything?" he says coming to kneel in front of my chair.

I sigh, this is exactly why I didn't want to tell him. "Look dad, after you got arrested me and Braden stayed with Kate for two years. Then one day she took us to child services and dumped us."

He goes to interrupt me but I put my hand up to stop him. "Just wait till I'm done, k."

He nods.

"The home we were staying in had lots of kids in it and I didn't want to be there, so me and Braden ran."

"You what?" he shouts, shocked.

"What did I say about interruptions?" I say sternly and when he closes his mouth I continue. "I didn't tell you, because you were so in love with her and you were already in prison. I didn't want to make you sadder than you already were. And Mozzie didn't tell you because I threatened to murder him if he did, but he did come and visit us to make sure we were safe."

I take a deep breath. "Okay, now you may talk."

"I can't believe you dealt with that. Callen you should have told me. I could have done something" he says running his hands through his hair continuously.

I grab them to make him stop. "No you couldn't have. Dad face it, what were you going to do? Huh, break up with her? Me and Braden were fine okay. I got us a place to stay, eventually Peter found us and well you know the rest. But dad you couldn't have done anything."

I never wanted to tell him any of that, but I guess it was inevitable. I knew that had I told him he have been angry at first, but then Kate would have given him some sort of excuse, like that she couldn't raise us on her own, and he would have forgiven her. He always picks her over us.

"But" he begins standing back up and pacing again. "I would've, I could've…"

"Dad" I shout jumping up, "Stop okay. Look you would have sided with her, you always choose her over us and it's okay. I've accepted it okay. Just drop it."

I sit back down and run my hands over face. If he doesn't drop it soon, I might actually start crying. I'm always going to be angry at him for choosing her over us, which he seems to be doing a lot lately, but there isn't anything I can do about.

"Callia Alexis Caffrey, don't you ever, EVER, for even a second doubt that I don't believe you or love you more than anything else, well not including your siblings who I love equally, but still, sweetie , I will always chose you" he says sternly, coming back over to stand in front of me.

"But you broke out for her, you are looking for her, you got arrested for her" I say glaring at him because he's not dropping it.

He sighs and drops to his knees taking my hands in his. "I broke out because I thought she was in trouble and I still do."

My heart deflates a little at that, I thought we were maybe making progress.

"But" he continues, "I was never going to leave you. I knew you were safe. Yes, you were running, but Peter always made sure I was updated so I knew you were fine. I know there has to be more to me and Kate. However I also know that no matter what, you will never leave me. And I promise you the same."

He stares me directly in the eye and I know he's telling the truth. I guess I can't really be mad at him about that.

"Okay" he asks and I nod. I still don't know that if the situation were to present itself that he would pick us over her without hesitation. The one thing I do know though is that no matter what his intentions are always for the good of things, even if his decisions don't usually convey that.

"Good." He stands up and kisses my forehead before enveloping me into a hug.

I smile weakly up at him.

"I'm not going to stop looking for Kate" he says more as a promise to himself than me, "but I swear that I will make sure that you help and have a say in decisions, if that's what you want." He gives me a smile that poses a question.

"I'd like that" I say my smile growing stronger.

"I'm glad" he says laughing and planting another kiss on my head before pulling back, "because I thought I failed as a dad there for a minute."

I laugh at this, "Trust me dad if you had failed as a parent, you would have gotten the memo a long time ago."


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey sorry for the long wait, school started this week so everythings been kind of crazy. I probably won't be able to update as quickly as I was but I'll try to aim for one a week. Okay, enough rambling. Enjoy!**

**Only Callen and her friends are mine.**

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><p>Chapter 17: Confusion<p>

One month later I find myself staring off into space trying to figure out what to do about the latest mystery in my life.

Things have been pretty great in my wonderfully thrilling life. Peter and Elizabeth went on their vacation and we got to stay with dad. He still had to go to work and we still had to go to school, but I did manage to make things interesting. See, despite the fact that Peter gave me the whole 'be good' speech (well you didn't honestly think I'd listen to him now did you?), didn't mean I would follow it to the T.

Me and Pete did end up throwing a party while the Burkes were away. And let me just say; It. Was. Awesome.

Okay, we didn't go all out crazy or anything but we did invite my entire soccer team and some other kids that Abbey and Luc knew who could be trusted. Like I said, it wasn't the coolest thing ever. But I had to do at least one thing that went against Peter's wishes because I was starting get that feeling that I actually liked him, and well we couldn't have that.

The party did however get me some street credit (or is it hallway credit) with the kids at school. Everyone officially knows my name, which means I have a lot more people to associate with and that Morgan hates me even more. I love having a mortal enemy. If you've never had one, then you should really get one because they're a lot of fun. It's kind of cool to say I have a nemesis.

Anyways, back to that mystery I was talking about earlier.

Last night Mozzie came over to talk to dad, and the three of us spent the night looking at a wine bottle.

Okay, I realize that that sounds like the most boring thing in the world but this isn't any ordinary wine bottle. See when dad and Kate first met he gave her an empty Bordeaux bottle as a promise that things would get better. That bottle has been a constant in my life, and now it seems that it was holding secrets as well. Apparently Kate left dad a code when she broke up with dad, and it said for him to look at the bottle. So now dad's convinced that she left him a message in a bottle (funny right?) and we spent days trying to figure out what that message was.

Finally dad found out that if he held the bottle up to a flame, then it showed a map. So now were just waiting for an opportunity to go follow the dotted line.

"Earth to Caffrey" Pete says snapping his fingers and waving his hands in front of my face.

"Wha, what" I snap at him.

"You've been out of it all day" Abbey says and Lucas nods. We've gotten really close over the last month. Abbey's been helping me with my drawing skills and I've been helping her with some soccer moves. Lucas on the other hand is just fun to hang out with. He's such a cute little nerd.

"Sorry, just got a lot on my mind lately" I say taking a bite of my sandwich.

"What's up?" Pete asks eyeing me closely.

"Nothing" I say putting the Caffrey evasiveness in to effect.

"Call I've known you for a very long time. You don't think I can tell when you're lying" he says looking me directly in the eyes.

"Actually you can't" I say rolling my eyes, "And it's none of your business."

"You know whatever your planning, you're gonna need a team" he says smirking.

"I'm not planning anything and even if I was, I got the twins and Braden" I say just because I know it will annoy him.

"Ouch, that hurt. I thought I was your go to guy for that kind of stuff, but apparently you prefer working with elementary schoolers rather than a very good looking guy like myself" he says giving me look that basically screams 'I have a big ego'. Although he's not exactly wrong…..

"Wow someone's shallow" I say rolling my eyes.

He gives me one of his con man smiles, and then grows serious "Come on Caffrey spill it."

I sigh. "Fine, but only because my resources are limited" I tell him sternly. "It's about Kate."

"Who's Kate" Lucas asks curiously.

"See what you get me into" I say to Pete angrily. He shrugs in return. I take in Abbey and Lucas's looks and decide to disclose to them my biggest secret.

"Okay, first off no judging. I know I haven't been all that providing or honest on my personal life but I like you two so I'll tell you. But you say nothing till I'm done."

They nod so I continue. "First off my dad doesn't actually work for the FBI, well not technically." They raise their eyebrows and look like they're going to say something but I stop them.

"He's a con man or was. He got arrested for bond forgery, sent to prison for four years. You know basic stuff." I shrug my shoulders as if it's no big deal.

"What?" Lucas almost screams, but Pete covers his mouth so it comes out as more of a muffled noise.

"Shh" Pete says releasing Lucas. "Keep it down okay; this doesn't need to be floating all over school."

He looks in my direction nodding for me to continue. "Anyways, Kate was my dad's girlfriend and is Braden's mom. After dad 'went away', Kate became responsible for us and then two years later dumped us in foster care. She broke up with my dad a year later."

"She didn't love him?" Abbey asks.

"That's what I think, but my dad thinks she was taken" I tell the two of them.

Abbey nods and I can tell she's trying to mask her shock and confusion. Lucas just stares and then asks, "You said you're dad technically doesn't work for the FBI but he does?"

"He's a consultant. It's kind of like a work release program. He helps the guy who caught him catch other criminals in exchange for freedom. And… he and his wife happen to be my foster parents."

Lucas nods. "So your mom is really?" Abbey starts.

"My foster mom who is married to the guy responsible for my dad's capture. My real mom's never met me" I add quickly seeing the looks on their faces.

"Okay, so now that you guys are caught up," Pete says to them and then turning to me says "What's new on the radar?"

"Dad checked the tape of the breakup and found a message in morose code" I tell him.

"What's the message?" Abbey asks.

"Bottle" I answer looking at Pete. He nods in understandment being fully aware of that piece of my childhood. Lucas and Abbey look confused.

"Anything else" Pete says ignoring their looks.

"The bottle had a map on the seal" I tell him pulling out my math book to get a jump start on my homework.

He snorts. "Should've figured; Kate always liked the classics."

"I'm lost" Abbey says looking between the two of us.

Pete gives me a smile. "Don't worry about it Abbs. And Call, between you and your dad, you'll have this solved in no time; with your two super genius minds and all."

I roll my eyes and give him a shove, "As long as things go back to normal, I don't care how it gets done."

"Caffrey, for people like us this is normal" he says giving me his con man's smirk.

"Okay, whats with the looks? Are you two keeping more secrets from us?" Lucas cuts in sounding a little offended.

I break my staring contest with Pete and turn to my new friend. "Let's just say we're not the most honest kids on the block" I say smiling the trademarked Caffrey grin.

"Oh what, you guys are cons too?" Lucas says half kidding, half serious. Me and Pete swap looks.

"Seriously?" he says in disbelief.

"Want to help us?" I ask Lucas sweetly batting my baby blue eyes.

"With what?" he asks and I can tell he's curious.

"Oh you know stuff" I say vaguely because I know it will gauge his interest. "You're good with computers right?"

"Yeah" he says a little unsure, but still questioning.

"Good, I'll let you know" I say smiling some more.

"Who's Moz?"

….

By the time I make it home (or rather the Burke's) six hours later, I'm worn out. After school I had soccer practice for two hours, and then me and Abbey met up with the boys and we all walked to Baskin-Robbins so me and Pete could fill the other two in on our ever so eventful lives (or mine really) and answer some general question about cons we had pulled. It was actually really fun since they thought it was awesome that we had 'allegedly' gotten away with a lot of stuff. We had been there for a while when I noticed it was getting close to six thirty and had to get home for dinner. I split a cab with Lucas on the way home since he also lives in Brooklyn, and it was way too far to walk.

Opening the door to the house I find everyone, but Peter already at the table getting ready to eat. There's also a woman I've never met, but vaguely remember seeing somewhere.

"Hi sweetheart" Elizabeth says as I drop my backpack by the door. "How was your day?"

"Great" I say eyeing the woman behind Elizabeth interacting with my siblings.

Elizabeth catches on to what I'm looking at. "Oh, Callen this is my friend Dana. She's staying with us for a while."

I smile at the woman and go to shake her hand. It's obvious she's been crying recently but I politely ignore it. "Nice to meet you."

"You too" she says, "Your brother and sister are very good at cheering people up."

With that she turns and walks into the kitchen. I watch her go and then turn to Elizabeth.

"Is she okay" I ask as the twins run to attack me.

Elizabeth smiles and gives my shoulder a squeeze. "She'll be fine. I hope" she says like she's really not sure.

Not sure what else to say, I nod and drag the twins to the table where they precede to tell me of the excitements of kindergarten. I look over at Braden who's sitting more quietly than normal. To me it's the first sign that he's getting sick. I'm start to get worried thinking about all the things I'm going to have to do for him. And then it occurs to me that we have Elizabeth. My worry disappears and I relax at the thought that I'm not alone anymore.

"So where's Peter?" I ask him trying to start the conversation back up.

"He went out for drinks with your dad" Elizabeth says as if it happens all the time.

"That's odd" I say, because that is definitely not normal.

Elizabeth starts laughing. "They're working."

"Ah, that explains so much" I say only half joking. Lately they've been hanging out a little bit after work. At first it started out as dad coming over to spend more time with us since the little kids were having a hard time adjusting to the whole moving houses thing, but then him and Peter actually started talking about more than just work.

And oddly enough, it isn't that weird.

"Okay, so who wants apple pie" Elizabeth asks as she begins to clear the table.

"I do, I do" scream the twins. "Can we have ice cream on top?" asks Grayson using his best puppy dog face.

"Of course munchkin" she says tickling Grays. "Anybody else?"

"I'll have some please" I say politely.

"Me too" adds Dana who's been pretty quiet the entire time.

"Braden honey?" Elizabeth says turning to my younger brother.

He just shakes his head. "I'm going to go to bed if that's okay." He stands up and begins to walk up towards the stairs in a few shaky steps.

"Callen he doesn't look so good" Elizabeth says and nods towards the stumbling little boy.

"I got him" I say running over and grabbing Braden by the shoulders to help him walk to his room.

Just as I pass the stairs, the front door flies open. "Hey Peter, nice of you to join us" I say.

"Hey" he says and I can tell he's distracted so I shrug and continue taking care of my brother.

Once I get Braden settled, I head back downstairs but stop on the bottom step when I see Peter and Elizabeth arguing.

"_Yeah, I see that she's crying"_ Peter says looking distraught and completely out of his element. It's actually kind of amusing.

"_Shhh_" Elizabeth hushes him.

"_I need to know if John met someone for a drink"_ Peter says.

Neither of them have noticed I'm here yet and I don't really want to interrupt, so instead I just stand and listen.

"_Maybe he didn't tell her"_ Elizabeth says.

"_Does she suspect him of cheating?"_ Peter asks confused.

"_Yeah, now I'm gonna let you go talk to her"_ Elizabeth tells him sarcastically.

"_This is important, El" _Peter whines.

Elizabeth just shoos him away. _"Go upstairs! Upstairs!"_ she orders.

"_Thank you"_ she says once he moves past me up the stairs.

"Um" I begin turning to Elizabeth. "I'm gonna take the twins in the kitchen" I say.

"Come on Gabbs, Grays" I say leading them into the kitchen, completely confused as to whats taking place.

And Callen Caffrey does not like being confused.

…

"Do you know what's happening here?" I shout into my phone a few hours later.

"Hey Callen" dad says sounding tired. "How was your day?"

"Dad, this is no time for small talk. Peter and Elizabeth are arguing, Braden's sick, and there's a crying woman downstairs. Now tell me what's going on" I say to him.

I listened to the conversation between Elizabeth and Dana through the closed door, but the only thing I understood was something about a reporter and a missing Yankee cap.

"Callen slow down kid" he says, "and if you'd stop talking then maybe I could tell you."

"Sorry, please enlighten me" I respond more slowly.

He laughs. "You sound like Moz."

I let out a sigh loud enough for him to hear that I'm agitated.

"Okay, basically one of El's friends, Dana who you've met, her husband has been accused of smuggling artifacts into the country" he says and finally it all makes sense.

Dana's crying because her husband got arrested. Peter's at a loss because he hates girls who cry. I would know, last week he was completely lost when Gabby started balling after she fell down the stairs. She was fine, but I don't think Peter will ever be the one to jump when she starts crying.

"Do you think he did it?" I ask, seriously wondering if the woman's husband did or not.

"No, I'm pretty sure he's being framed" dad says with conviction in his voice and I can tell he's certain.

"Well I hope your right, because Peter looks like he's going to lose it with all the crying" I say not mentioning that I'm already getting annoyed by it, and it's only been a few hours.

Dad laughs. "Yeah well hopefully we'll get a lead here soon."

"I heard Elizabeth and Dana talking about some reporter so I think your lead will come soon enough" I tell him.

"That's good news. Hey, so you mentioned something about your brother being sick. Is he okay?" dad asks now sounding concerned.

"Yeah I think he just has the flu" I say answering his question. "But, I'm sure Peter will bring you by tomorrow to check on him" I add when I hear him sigh a bit.

"Yeah, I'm sure he will" dad says a little deflated. I kind of feel bad for him. When I was little and got sick, dad would spend all day watching movies and playing Monopoly with me. He never got to do that with the others and I think he regrets that he wasn't there for them when they were younger. Not that they're still not little, but four years is a long time.

"Hey, you wanna hang out tomorrow?" I ask trying to lighten the mood. I know, hanging out with your dad on a Friday night sounds kind of lame. But can you really blame me. I mean the man's only been out of prison for a month.

"Yeah sure" he says sounding more enthused.

"Great, I'll see you tomorrow then" I say hanging up before he can add anything else.

After hanging up I go back to my laptop googling something about genetic mutations for a project in bio, when I hear a knock on my door. I look up to see Elizabeth smiling at me.

"How's it coming?" she asks walking in to the room and taking a seat next to me on the bed. She looks a little worn, and is probably looking for a break from all the crying taking place in the living room.

"Good. At least I think so. I might have this whole chromosome splitting thing backwards." I tell her, happy to take a break from the boring homework.

She laughs at that and then looks at me seriously. "Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah" I say taken aback slightly, "why". I'm starting to get nervous like something bad happened I didn't know about. Did dad take off again? No it's not possible, I just talked to him. But he did this before, only a month ago. It's getting really hot in here. Did he find Kate? My breathing's getting shallow and heavy. Are the walls moving? Is something else wrong with Braden? When did I turn off the lights?

"Callen honey, look at me. Breath" Elizabeth says calmly trying to get my attention. I look up at her and take deep breaths until my breathing returns to normal. She pulls me into a hug and runs her fingers through my hair. "Honey, I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to know how things were going."

My breathing calms to its regular level and I look up at her trying to smile. "Oh"

"Call sweetie you panic way to easily" she laughs.

"I know, it's a real problem" I say smiling. "So what were you asking before I freaked out?"

"I was wondering how school was going?" she asks laughing.

"Good. It's a lot more homework than my dad ever made me do, and of a different variety too."

She laughs, "Let me guess, his classes were lock picking 101, pick pocketing 101, lying 101….."

"Something like that" I respond laughing. "But seriously, things are good. I like getting to hang out with Pete every day, and I already love Abbey and Lucas. Not to mention I've charmed all my teachers, so really it's not that bad."

"Good" she says happily. "What about everything else?" she asks then.

"If you're asking about how I like living with you and Peter, than I can honestly say that I love it here" I tell her firmly.

"Really?" she asks slightly surprised.

"Yes. Despite popular belief I actually kind of like having a stable place to call home and not worrying about picking up and running" I say slightly shocked by my revelation. "Don't get me wrong, I love my dad more than anything else but….."

"It's nice to not have to worry about him all the time" she finishes.

"Yeah, it's a nice feeling to know he's safe. Even when he was in prison I was never worried about him because I knew he was safe" I stop rambling realizing I just said that I was happy my dad got thrown in jail.

I smile up at her weakly. "It's okay" she says, "I won't tell him."

"Or Peter" I plead.

"Or Peter" she promises and then kisses the top of my head. "I'm glad you're doing well. Goodnight."

"Night" I call after her and then return to my homework.

I've barely started back up again when I get a text from Pete.

_We need to talk. Can u sneak out? _

I text him back immediately. _Why wouldn't I be able to _

He sends one right back. _Just checking since u have restrictions _

Annoyed I reply, _it's one fbi agent, not the cavalry now what do u want _

_Like I said we need to talk, like now _

I fall on my bed and moan into the pillow. I still have this research to finish and I'm completely worn out but when Pete says he needs to talk now, it's usually something good.

_Fine regular spot in thirty _I hit send and then proceed to pack up my homework when my phone beeps one last time.

_It's a date!_


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey everybody, I know it's been forever since I updated but I have been so busy. Our stupid school just switched to block schedualing (? probably spelled that wrong) and teachers are doubling homework because they think they'll run out of time otherwise or something like that. Yeah hindsight, I probably shouldn't have taken six AP courses. Oh well. Anyways, I'll try to update a little quicker since I think I'm starting to get that whole time management thing down, but it'll still probably be once a week at the earliest. **

**So enough of my rambling, enjoy the chapter and as always I love feedback. **

**P.S. I hope the idea that I'm now playing with isn't too crazy, but it planted itself in my head and I kinda had to go with it. **

**Only own Callen and friends! :)**

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><p>Chapter 18: In the Game<p>

Thirty five minutes later I'm sitting at the water fountain in Manhattan that's exactly half way between the Burke's house and Pete's grandparents waiting for my generally tardy friend. The sun had already gone down hours ago and since it was the middle of October it was starting to get chilly. I pull my jacket tighter around me and am about to call Pete and tell him to forget it when I hear someone come up behind me.

"It's about time you showed up" I say before Pete can get a word out.

"Come on Call, it's five minutes" he says taking as seat next to me on the fountain ledge.

I roll my eyes and turn to face him, "You're still late."

"Yeah well I'm always late it's kind of my M.O." he responds laughing and giving me a shove.

I shove him in return. "Okay seriously Somerfield, what could be so important that you needed to meet me for?"

"You still in the game?" he asks suddenly growing serious.

"What kind of a question is that?" I say slightly stunned. "And yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"I know, I just thought I'd check since your living with a fed" he says defensively.

I sigh and cross my arms over my chest. "I haven't pulled anything since that job we did back in May, but I'm sure I could find a way around my barriers. Why?"

"Money's tight over with my grandparents since they're both retired and paying for me to go to school" he says.

"I'm still not seeing why you need my expertise" I say in my ego boosting tone giving him my best con man's smile.

He looks at me and for a second I think I notice a nervous smile spread across his face, but just like that it's gone. "I told my grandpa I got a job to help with the income" he says smiling.

"And there it is" I murmur to myself. "I can't believe you lied to your grandparents." I laugh trying to picture what he told Mr. Somerfield about his 'job'.

"I didn't lie, I said I got a job, which I did" he says mirroring my pose.

I just laugh.

"Look, you in or not" he asks seriously.

"That depends" I say bringing my laughing to a close and becoming serious. "You haven't told me what you want. And depending on what it is I might not have the freedom to help."

"I'm gonna swap a painting" he blurts out, cutting off my rant.

I stop talking. "You're what?"

He runs his hands through his unruly curls, "I'm swapping a painting from a gallery downtown that's worth a couple thousand."

"Pete, you're insane" I say wondering what is running through my best friend's brain.

"It's not that much" he tries to reason.

I sigh. "That's not the point. Pete, we've never done anything like this before. Picking pockets and selling fake Girl Scout cookies is not the same as pulling a picture off a heavily guarded wall" I say whispering.

"It's not like we've never stolen anything before" he says, his voice also dropping to a whisper.

"Stealing clothes and electronics from department stores where the best security they've got is a lazy mall cop and one camera with an obvious blind spot is not the same thing. And you know that." I seriously have no clue what's gotten into him. I mean I've mentioned before that I'm not a criminal, and I really want to stick to that. At least I think I do.

"Come on Call I need this" he pleads. I look past him instead focusing on the traffic passing by. "Your dad and my brother did this all the time."

I turn back to look him in the eyes. "Pete, my dad was in prison. You're brother's dead. Is that really where you want us to end up?"

"Your dad" he begins taking a deep breath, "got caught because of Kate, and we both know it wasn't the job that killed Ben."

He's right. The job isn't what did either of them in. For dad it was a broken heart. And Ben, well a sociopathic partner who couldn't wait ten seconds to see whether or not a passport went missing took that shot.

He grabs my hand, "Look Ally Cat; you're my co-conspirator, my partner in crime. It would be wrong to do this without you. But more importantly, you are my best friend. I don't think I could do this without you. I need this, but I need you to do it."

Well, that was sweet. I look him in the eyes and can tell he wants to do this. Maybe I should rethink this whole not being a criminal thing. I mean it does run in my blood, plus I have been pretty bored lately. The thrill of planning and getting away with a con ought to do the trick, especially one I've never done before. And wasn't it just a few weeks ago that Peter accused me of following in my father's footsteps.

Well mister FBI, looks like I'm getting into the family business after all.

"Ally Cat? You haven't called me that since we were twelve" I say smirking at my best friend.

"Would you just help me please?" he says throwing his hands and walking in a circle. It's so un-Pete like for him to be acting like this. It's kind of amusing.

"Alright, alright" I say grabbing his shirt so he stands still, "I'll help, but we're gonna need a forger cause the both of us wouldn't be able to pass anything off."

"I'm sure Abbey would love the opportunity to paint a picture" he says smiling.

"And we need a tech guy to hack security feeds" I say pacing.

"Our boy Lucas is pretty good with those types of things"

"And you better find me a good fence because I've got a lot to worry about if this goes bad" I say pointing a finger at him.

"I'll take care of it" he says his smile growing wider.

"And…" I begin, getting ready to add more to the list.

He cuts me off by grabbing my hand. "Call we have time. I promise it'll be perfect."

"It better be" I murmur giving him my death glare.

"It will. And here's the address of the place" he says pulling my phone from my pocket and typing in the place.

He hands me back my phone. "Look at us, following in the family business."

I grab the phone to look at the address. "Yeah expect we better be a whole lot better at it."

He smirks, "We already are."

I roll my eyes and slap him on the arm. "K, I gotta go but I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Night Caffrey" he says tipping an imaginary hat in my direction.

I smile as I head back towards the Burke's. That kid sure is something.

….

"You want me to do what?" Abbey screams at me as we pass a soccer ball back and forth at practice the next day.

"Shh" I say glaring at her while simultaneously checking to make sure she didn't draw attention.

"You can't be serious about this" she says dropping her voice to a lower level.

I sigh. "Come on Abbs, it's not that bad."

"It's illegal" she says like she's spelling it out so I understand.

"Abbey, all we're asking is that you paint a picture. It's not like you're doing anything that's that bad" I say in my most convincing tone.

"Besides" I continue, "the painting isn't worth that much and if you do a good job no one will notice."

She pops the ball off of her foot and into her hands. I can tell she's thinking about it.

"And you and Pete are sure that you can do this" she asks sounding interested.

"I'm know we can, it's in our blood" I say trying to sound one hundred percent confident. I'm still not entirely sure, but I know we have the skills. And I'm planning on going over there later today so I can case the place.

I turn back to Abbey who looks a little more convinced. "Alright, I'm in" she sighs. "But if you to get caught I'm never talking to you again."

I smile at that. "Trust me, if we get caught,_ I_ wouldn't ever want to talk to us again."

….

"Luc's in" Pete says as we walk up the steps to the gallery. "He's got some new hacking software he wants to test out or something."

"Great, Abbs is in to" I say as we approach the entrance.

Pete smiles one of those all-knowing smiles and stops just inside the doors.

"What?" I ask coming to a stop alongside him.

He laughs, "Nothing; just that it's funny how we've known these kids for just a month and yet they already trust us."

I shrug nonchalantly. "Using words to get people to trust us is kind of our thing."

He smiles and I roll my eyes. "Come on, we got a scene to scope" I say grabbing his upper arm and pulling him into the gallery.

It's a lot more open than I would have thought. The entry way is huge and white, with nothing but metal detectors and a small security desk to stop intruders. I note that there's a door behind it that's clearly labeled security.

"We need to see what's back there" Pete whispers into my ear as he passes ahead of me to go through the gate.

I nod and follow behind him. There's a hall to the left and an open area to the right with tables probably for field trip goers or people to have conferences. This area has a big sliding door to separate it from the rest of the building, and the information desk is sitting in front of it. Straight ahead is a brick wall with a few paintings on it. There hung in straight lines, and each canvas is in a different color with splattered paint in other colors thrown randomly upon it.

Now how come that painter gets their work hung in a gallery, but when I tried to pass something exactly like that off for an art project last week, I got a C? Anybody? No? Well I certainly have got a bone to pick with someone about this, because that just isn't fair.

"Admiring the pretty picture" Pete says coming to stand next to me, hands full of pamphlets.

"No, I'm mentally trying to strangle Mrs. Koss for downgrading me on my art project" I respond giving the painting on the wall my death glare.

Pete lets out a low whistle. "Okay then now that we know you're crazy, let's take a look around."

I punch him in the arm but allow myself to be led away as he takes my hand in his and pulls me down the hall.

We stop and stare at every picture in the place, leaning close to wall pretending to admire the paintings from different angles but are really looking behind them for sensors. I pull out and hold it in my hand, looking as if I'm waving it around randomly. One of the many great features of the I-phone is its high quality video recording, perfect for capturing family moments, making funny videos with friends, and of course casing a potential crime scene.

Finally, we reach the very last painting at the end of the long hall.

I stop and stare at the sole painting hanging on the wall in front of me. I slowly turn to face my, now who I firmly believe is psychotic, friend.

"Pete…"

"It's a beaut ain't it" he says getting as close to it as the rope in front will allow.

"It's a Van Gogh" I state looking back at the painting.

"I know it's really good huh?" he says leaning back and smiling at me.

Of course it's good; I mean it's a Van Gogh for crying out loud. It's one titled _"A Pair of Old Shoes"_ and is a painting of exactly that. It's not one of his most known works, but I know it. And I know it's worth a good chunk of change too.

I take one last look at the painting, note the locations of the security cameras and then grab Pete's arm and yank him away from the rope.

"Walk now" I mumble just loud enough for him to hear.

He looks at me curiously but doesn't say anything until we exit the building and are now standing on the sidewalk a bit away from the exit.

"You said it wasn't worth that much" I yell as quietly as I can.

"It's not" he says completely collected and leaning against a nearby lamp post.

I on the other hand am standing inches away from his face, fuming with anger. "Yes it is."

He sighs and places his hands on either side of my shoulders. "Look Call, it's not worth as much as some of his other stuff. We could get two mill at most. And beside if I had told you what it was in the first place, you never would have agreed. But now that you saw it, you gotta admit it's feasible."

He has a point. The security at that place is better than most low end galleries, but it's still easily beatable. Even more so if you have a good hacker on your team, and I have a lot of faith in Luc.

"And" Pete adds, "It's a simple enough work that Abbey should have no problem with."

Another valid point.

"Callen, we can do this. Stop doubting your amazing talents" he says releasing my shoulders and beginning to walk up the street.

I run to follow him. "Your right, I'm freaking out for nothing" I say though in the pit of my stomach I'm still having doubts.

"So you're in?" he asks for conformation.

I laugh, "like I'd ever let you pull off our greatest feat without me."

He clasps his hands together and looks up towards the sky mouthing the words thank you and then throws his arms out wide and yells really loud, "Callen Caffrey has finally come back from the land of the dead!" and then turns to me and says more quietly "I thought we'd lost the greatest mind of our generation there for a second."

I roll my eyes and try to look annoyed, but can't stop the smile from completely spreading across my face.

"The greats never die."


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey everybody, I know, I know, I promised it wouldn't take as long to update again but it's been like a whole month. I think I need to face the fact that I do not at all have the whole time management thing under control. I am sooooooo sorry. I've just been so swamped with homework, and sports, and clubs and babysitting and taking the ACT, and why am telling you this I really don't know. So, sorry for wasting time telling you that to. I really need a vacation. (Stupid high school). **

**Anyways, thanks to those of you who are still reading this I hope you like this chapter as much as the others. Although in truth, it's probably not that good since i wrote it really fast but I think it's alright.**

**Again sorry for the wait and i really love all you guys. Like seriously I do. Please review, they're more than apreciated. **

**Only Callen and friends belong to me. :)**

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><p>Chapter 19: Never Try Something You Can't Pull Off<p>

After hanging out with Pete for a few more hours around the museum checking out the security and trying to see if this stupid idea of his was plausible, which as it turns out it may be, I went over to dad's since we had agreed to hang out. I'm still slightly mad at Pete for not telling me which painting it was and then guilt tripping me into helping him, but I really would do anything for him, so you know it's my fault too. Okay, I really need to stop thinking about this now. I'm getting nowhere with these internal debates I keep having, talking myself in circles. I'm doing this, end of discussion.

I shake my head as I open up the door to June's and after saying a quick hello, head up the stairs to the apartment.

"Sup dad" I say walking in and tossing my bags on the floor by the couch.

Dad looks up from the book he's sitting on the couch with. "Oh, hey kiddo I was wondering if you were ever going to show up."

"Thought I'd forget about you" I say smirking as I flop onto the couch next to him, pulling the book out of his hands.

He laughs, lunging for the book. I pull away before he can grab it and jump off the couch.

"An atlas? What, are you trying to find some area of your restricted radius you haven't covered yet" I ask giving him a look.

"No" he says taking the book back and closing it before picking up the wine bottle sitting on the coffee table which I now recognize as Kate's. "I figured out the message."

I stand there staring as he moves to put the things back, waiting for him to continue.

"It's Grand Central Station" he says looking around for something. "Have you seen my phone?"

I grab his phone off the side table and toss it at him. "So Grand Central Station huh? That's so….Kate" I say trying to come up with some sort of response to the latest discovery.

He gives an incredulous look but goes back to his phone conversation. "Hey Moz"

I shrug and walk back towards the kitchen to grab something to eat. What the heck would Kate want from dad at New York's center for well, everywhere? On the bright side we at least solved the clue. On the down side, we got another clue. Yeah.

I'm suddenly interrupted from my fake celebration by a knock on the door.

"That was fast" dad says hanging up his phone.

"It's Moz, what other explanation does one need" I say as dad opens the door up.

"_Hey Mo.." _ he says but stops short upon seeing Peter. "_My man, what's ah, what's up?" _

Peter chuckles and steps past dad into the apartment. "_You guys expecting someone else?" _

"Anyone besides you" I shout from the end of the table in between cold pizza bites.

"Call, be nice" dad says closing the door, though I can tell he's slightly freaking out. For a confidence man, he's currently lacking that confidence he prides himself so greatly on.

"Whatcha doing here Peter" I say ignoring my father's request.

"Well, I thought that maybe I'd come over here, you know hang out with your dad and you too I guess" he says in that weird voice he has when he's being all awkward and happy. It's incredibly annoying, at least to my ears anyways, Gabby thinks it's funny.

"Elizabeth kick you out" I say smirking.

He stutters for a second, "No."

I raise my eyebrows at him.

"Well, technically…" he adds and I start laughing, but before he can keep going, there's another knock interrupting us.

"I'll get that" dad pipes in before either me or Peter can get a word in. "It´s probably June" he adds grabbing the door.

From where I'm sitting, I can see Moz standing at the door, looking down at something in his hands not focusing on the fact that dad's trying to signal him to stop talking.

"_Photocopy of a pawn ticket, but I got this coin"_ he says and then looks up and finally notices dads signals. "_What?"_

I roll my eyes.

"_Sorry Mr. Haversham"_ dad says in that voice I recognize as the "trying to cover stuff up quickly" voice. _"June isn´t here at the moment."_

"_Oh well, uh, too bad. Uh .. Tell her I look forward to our next round of drinks and Parcheesi"_ Mozzie says quickly turning to go.

"_Yep."_

"_Hang on a second"_ Peter says grabbing the door dad's in the middle of trying to close.

Apparently the voice is obvious to Peter too. Figures.

"_Oh, I´m sorry"_ Moz says, _"Apparently I´m interrupting something."_

"_Who are you?"_ Peter asks smiling.

Okay, I have got to hear this. I stand up and move towards the gathering that's taking place by the door.

"_I'm the neighbor. Dante Haversham"_ Mozzie says after a second of thought.

"_Dante Haversham. And you're dating June?"_ Peter asks curiously.

At this point, I'm trying really hard not to laugh outright at that ridiculous question.

"_Courting"_ Moz counters.

"_Courting_" Peter repeats.

"_What can I say? She likes a little cream in her coffee"_ Mozzie replies.

I can't help the small giggle that escapes from my mouth at that. Add dad's completely freaked out and slightly disturbed face into the equation, and I'm surprised I'm not rolling on the floor.

"_You really wanna keep this up?"_ Peter says turning towards dad who still looks bothered.

"_No, I don't"_ he states bluntly. "_You're right. This is…"_ He lets the sentence hang, not really knowing what to say.

Luckily Peter lets that one slide. _"No, I know. How about I just call you Mr. Haversham?" _

Moz nods and steps through.

"_I thought you'd be taller"_ Peter adds eying our old friend.

"_Me too"_ Moz pipes back.

Now, now I'm laughing. On the ground, rolling around roaring with laughter.

….

A few hours later, I'm helping dad clean up the empty glasses and plates. After sitting around and listening to Mozzie drunkenly tell why he does what he does, Peter and dad worked out a plan to prove Dana's husbands innocence, which is excellent news for Peter because it means he won't have to stay away from his house.

"So what now" I say yawning.

"Well, now it's time for bed. You should have been asleep hours ago" dad responds trying to make Mozzie's arm stay on the couch after having deposited him there.

I shake my head but let out another yawn. I really am tired and I didn't get much sleep last night since after my impromptu meeting with Pete I ended up staying awake all night brushing up on my scheming skills. One can never be too sure when it comes to something like that. And then of course I had to convince Abbey, go to soccer practice, yell at Pete, scope a museum, more yelling at Pete, do homework, and listen to a drunken paranoid man rant about how good life is even if you live in a storage unit. So basically, I'm dead. But I still can't sleep, because I need to know what dad plans to do about Kate.

I plop down in a dining room chair and watch as dad finally gives up fighting with the unconscious man's arm and comes to take a seat across from me.

"Didn't I say it was past your bedtime?" he asks rubbing his tired eyes.

I roll my own eyes. "First off, I haven't had a bedtime since I was eight. And second, I meant what happens now about Kate."

He seems to perk up at this. "I guess we follow the map."

"I figured that Sherlock" I say sarcastically although it comes across as a whisper since I'm so worn out. "I want to know what you're hoping to find, because this just looks like a scavenger hunt and who knows if there even is a treasure at the end of the rainbow."

Okay, I think I just combined like two different metaphors into one, and I'm not even sure that that made any sense but you know what, midnight is definitely too late to be worrying about using correct literary devices.

"Call" dad huffs, suppressing a yawn of his own, "look who knows whats on the other side of whatever, but like I said before I have to at least try and I thought we were done arguing about this."

I can tell he's just as worn out as me, although that's debate able since I don't see him trying to pull off stealing Van Gough in his future. Or near future anyway (it's highly possible he may try again in the future but who knows).

"We are done arguing" I reassure him since I'm not really sure at this point what my point is, "I was just wondering when you were gonna check it out."

"You want to come with?" he asks, and be lying if I didn't say I'm a little upset at his surprised tone.

"Um yeah, I do kind of want to see how this whole thing plays out. Unless you don't want me too" I add for safety purposes.

He quickly shakes his head. "Of course you can come. How about Saturday?"

"Sure, I'll come over here sometime after breakfast and we can hang out in the afternoon. You want me to bring the little kids too, Brady's still pretty sick but the twins will want something to do."

"I'd like that" he says smiling.

"Great see ya tomorrow" I say standing up and heading off to my room to get some well-deserved sleep.

….

"No"

"Come on"

"I said no"

"But you said yes first"

"That's before you mentioned that you wanted a replica of a world famous artist"

"Guys" I yell to grab my two friend's attention. They've been arguing for the last twenty minutes of lunch since Pete dropped the bomb that he wanted a Van Gough. Abbey's throwing a fit, not that I blame her. I know she said yesterday that she would help, but to be honest I don't think she realized what exactly she was getting into. I really don't blame her for wanting out.

I turn to Lucas who's been relatively quiet the whole time. "What are your thoughts on the subject?"

Luc sits up straight and leans on his elbows resting on the table.

"I'm still in" he sighs avoiding eye contact with Abbey.

"Really?" I ask. I was sure he'd want out too; I mean why any kid would willingly agree to steal an incredible expensive piece of art especially if they've never done it before.

Luc just shrugs and reaches for his water.

"Lucas Aaron Russell you cannot be serious about actually doing this" Abbey begins yelling at him, "We've been best friends since kindergarten and you've never wanted to take part in any thing dangerous. Actually, you'd be the first to quit."

Me and Pete swap a worried glance, the last thing we'd wanted to do would be ruin a perfectly good friendship between these two.

"Thanks for that Abbs, really made me feel good there" Luc says now staring directly at his best friend.

"Luc, you know what I mean" Abbey says by way of apology.

Luc nods. "Abbey, this is exactly why I want to do this. I've always been the loser nerd kid who only really had you as a friend. But now I can actually use the fact that I'm smarter than all those stupid sp-called popular kids and do something cool."

He looks so excited when he says that and part of me wonders if my dad was somewhat like Lucas in school, smarter than everyone but no one will give you the time of day. I know dad is the way he is now, cool and confident like me or Pete, but I seriously wonder if he was born that way or if that's something he got later on. I've tried asking him before to tell me what he was like growing up, but all he ever says is that his life began when mine did, and not for the first time in my life do I realize that I know about as much about my father as Peter does. Guess what, I just found another reason to hate mister FBI.

Pushing aside the thoughts about my mysterious father, I turn back to my two newly acquired friends sitting before me.

"Luc you don't have to take part in a crime to have done something cool" I say to him.

He turns and looks me dead in the eye. "I know that Callen, but I want this to be my cool thing."

I give him my most charming smile.

"Besides, you'd never be able to find someone as qualified for the job of a security hack as I am, hence you kinda need me."

I roll my eyes at his attempt to be funny and look over at Pete who actually looks relieved. "Sweet" he says giving small fist pump into the air. "You sure you don't want in Abbs?"

She looks around at all of us. "Is it still possible for this to happen if I say no?"

"Yes" I answer honestly, "but the likelihood of us getting caught would go up drastically since there's no forgery. See if there is still a painting hanging in the display, it would take longer to notice the original being gone than it would if there was no painting at all."

She ponders this for a minute. "Hypothetical if I did agree, it would take weeks, probably even months for me to get my stuff to look even close to that of the great painter Van Gough was. And even then it wouldn't be that great."

Pete decides to jump in then, "Abbey, you don't give yourself as much credit as you deserve, you're works amazing."

"Amazing and Van Gough are to different things" she responds, "I'd have to get every bit of the technique right and I doubt Mrs. Koss has enough expertise to teach me how. I mean no art teacher I know is that good."

As she finishes that statement, a devious smile creeps on to my face and I turn to Pete whose sharing the same look.

"Ahhh, that. That's that look you two had the other day, what is it. What are you telepathically saying" Luc yelps practically jumping out of his seat.

Me and Pete laugh at this amusement.

"Abbey," Pete says reeling in his laughter, "if we could get someone to show you how to perfect your Van Gough, would you do it then?"

She looks at all three of us and then zeroes in on Pete. "Pete Somerfield if you know someone unknown who can copy a Van Gough so well it's impossible to tell it's not, which I highly doubt even you crazy people would know, then yes I solemnly swear to help with this dumb and incredibly risky, not to mention illegal, endeavor" she say holding up her right hand.

Pete cocks a smile and leans back in his chair placing his hand s behind his head. "Abigail dear, you should never swear something without having all the facts."

Abbey's accomplished smile falters slightly. "Callen, what's he talking about?"

When I simply raise my eyebrows and pass an apologetic smile in her direction she asks again, this time a little more panicked. "You have got to be kidding me. You guys don't seriously know someone, do you?"

Pete chuckles, "Sweetheart, we know everybody."

Abbey's jaw opens a couple of times and then closes, unsure of what to say. I look over at Lucas whose sitting quietly wondering the same.

"Callen?" Abbey pleads begging for me to tell her Pete's lying and that this is all a game.

She should know, nothing is ever a game when it comes to Pete and his hair brained cons.

I grab my water bottle of the table and take a long sip before setting it down to answer her.

"So, who wants to meet my dad?"


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey everybody. I am soooooo sorry that I havn't posted in forever. No I haven't abandoned this story, I have just been beyond busy. High School homework is seriously the worst. I have had like nine hours a night. Dumb AP classes. Plus my hockey season just strated and I have two and a half hours of paractice every night so that's keeping me pretty busy. And now I have to apologize for complaining to you guys, I'm sure you all have a lot going on too which is why I love all of you that are still reading this. It means a lot. **

**Okay I should probably let you read now since you've waited so long.**

**Remember I love reviews, your feedback means the world to me. Thank you all soooo much!**

**Only Callen belongs to me! (well, and her friends/siblings of course) :)**

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><p>Chapter 20: Treasure and X's<p>

"This looks so real, are you sure it's not a Monet" Abbey asks wandering aimlessly around my dad's storage room.

After school I brought her, Luc, and Pete over to June's so that we could show Abbey that she lost the bet. So far all she's done is ask whether every painting in the room is real or not. Not that I blame her, I mean have you seen my dad's work.

"We're sure Abbs, just like we were sure the Rembrandt wasn't a Rembrandt and the Raphael wasn't a Raphael, and so on and so forth" Pete says sounding very amused.

"But it looks so real, especially this Manet" she says eyeing real closely.

"Well that one might actually be the real one, the replica is somewhere in Italy or maybe it was France" a voice from behind us says, "No actually it might have been a private buyer in Egypt."

"Hey dad" I say giving him a hug. "Hope you don't mind I brought some friends over to admire your work."

"Well I could always use more adoring fans" dad says flashing a charm smile.

I roll my eyes and begin introducing my friends. "Dad this is Lucas and Abbey" I say pointing to the new faces in the room. "And this is…."

"Pete Somerfield" dad says cutting me off. "Long time no see, little brother."

Pete jumps off the stool he was occupying and gives my dad a big hug. When Ben died, Pete was eight and alone. He stayed with me, dad and Kate for a while but dad knew he had to inform Pete's grandparents, so Pete ended up with them. But dad always looked after Pete like a little brother.

"Hey Neal" Pete says releasing my dad and flashing him a smile.

Dad returns his smile and then turns his attention to the other kids in the room. He and Pete will catch up later when fewer eyes are around.

"So what exactly are you four up to?" he asks look more towards me than the others.

"Abbey's an artist and I told her you'd help with her Van Gough's if that's okay with you of course" I say innocently. "She does want to learn from the best after all."

His smile becomes increasingly bigger, which I honestly didn't think was possible. Then again, his ever growing ego shouldn't be that big of a surprise.

As if reading my mind, Peter walks in then voicing my exact thought, "That's it; make him feel even more superior to the rest of us."

"She just stating facts Peter" dad says with a smirk, causing an eye roll from Peter.

"Yeah well, we've got work to get back to" he says clapping his hands together, "So go grab the file and let's get going."

"On it" dad responds with a wink towards us kids. "Nice to meet you guys and of course I'll help you out Miss Abbey, it would be my honor. See you later megabyte" he adds planting a kiss on the top of head and then making his exit.

"So these your friends" Peter says awkwardly and I try really hard to stifle a laugh. He has no idea how to act around kids. He's still pretty new to the whole parenting concept especially with the twins. Hyperactive four year olds and an easily irritable FBI agent are not really the best combo. But he is trying; just the other day he made up a very interesting bed time story for Gabby that involved a princess and a dragon. The plot was incredibly lame, but Gabbs seemed to enjoy it.

"Yup, this is Lucas, Abbey and Pete" I say pointing to each, "Guys meet Agent Peter Burke, my foster father."

"So, you arrested the great Neal Caffrey huh" Pete says eying Burke, "Congrats."

"Thanks, I think" Peter says confusingly, and then turning to me says "Well, I have work to do so don't do anything stupid okay."

"Nothing stupid" I say back smiling.

He gives me an apprehensive look, but turns and leaves.

"He doesn't seem like he trusts you" Luc, who has been quiet all afternoon says.

"He has good reason" I answer back shrugging, "I'm the daughter of a criminal genius who inherited way more than her dad's good looks. He has every right to worry."

"Speaking of looks" Luc says "Your dad looks nothing like a criminal. I mean aren't they supposed to be big and have huge muscles, and like a mustache and tattoos? But your dad actually looks…"

"Hot" Abbey cuts in getting a dreamy look in her eyes.

We all turn to stare at her and I give her a disgusted look. "Do not call my dad hot" I say with as straight a face as I can muster. It's one thing for every girl who meets him to have an instant crush, but my friend thinking so is just plain weird.

"I was gonna say normal or sophisticated" Luc chimes in making a face at Abbey.

She shoots a look back, "What? I'm just stating what's clearly obvious."

I look over at Pete begging him to say something to steer the conversation away from how my father looks. See, this is exactly why I spent my childhood hanging out with boys.

Alright maybe that's not exactly the reason, but it does make perfect sense.

"So Abbey, you ready to admit you lost and help us out" Pete says saving the day.

She immediately pales, "What?"

"We got you a teacher which means or end of the bargain is filled, now it's your turn" Pete answers smirking.

"But…" Abbey stutters.

"Nope" Pete says slinging his arm around her shoulder, "A bet is a bet is a bet, and that's a bet you can count on."

"What the heck does that mean?" Luc asks confused.

"It's something his brother used to say to my dad whenever he lost one of their games" I answer smiling, remembering the good old days when the five of us, Kate included, would spend the days dad and Ben weren't stealing from galleries, trying to determine who was better at street cons and such and such.

Dad usually lost.

Pete gives me a smile back before turning to Abbey and Luc, "Okay, you guys go get some rest because we have a very long weekend of conspiring to do, and Abbey here needs to learn some new paint techniques. Kay and break."

"Cool" Luc says looking really excited, "We're actually doing this."

"Okay, rule number two don't look so excited" I say and he immediately wipes the smile off his face. I can tell he's trying really hard to get this right and it's kind of cute. I mean in a brotherly kind of way, not like Pete who is really cute. Okay, focus Callen think about the heist, not how cute your best friend is.

"Wait what's rule number one?" Abbey inquires bringing my thoughts back to the present.

"Rule number one about pulling a heist" Pete says cutting in, but in a whispered tone incase Peter's lurking somewhere, "is you never talk about pulling a heist."

Me and Pete start laughing hysterically, because although it's technically true it's still funny as all get out.

"Isn't that from Fight Club" Abbey asks sounding slightly confused.

We just laugh harder.

…...

"Gabrielle, Grayson, Callen let's go. I want to drop you guys with your dad before I take Braden to the doctors" Elizabeth yells up the stairs.

Braden's fever got really high last night so Elizabeth figured it was a good idea to take him to a doctor.

Dana's husband got released yesterday thanks to Dad's stroke of genius and Mozzie's excellent driving skills. Okay, fine Peter helped to, but the important note is that Dana is officially gone and Peter will not be crashing in on dad any time soon. Which is incredibly important to my latest heist.

"Ready" Gabby says coming to a halt at the bottom of the steps, me and Grays right on her heels.

"Alright then let's go, Braden's already in the car" Elizabeth says ushering us out the back door stopping only for a minute to say goodbye to Peter.

"So what are you guys going to do with your dad this weekend" she asks once everyone's seated.

"We might go to the park or something" I suggest. After talking it over with the Burkes, they decided that the three of us could spend the entire weekend with dad and if Braden's feeling better tomorrow then Elizabeth's going to drop him off so he can spend time with us too. The twins are really excited because they haven't seen much of dad, unlike me who can basically choose if I spend the night at dad's or the Burke's, despite Peter's clear irritation by this. I think he doesn't like the fact that he can't always keep an eye on both Caffrey's.

"Sounds like fun, you guys should get to spend more time with him. He probably enjoys it as much as you four do" she says smiling.

"Yeah, I know that the little kids like hanging out with him. Braden really missed him these last four years. Plus he deserves to get to know the twins and vice versa since Alex isn't around for them" I say looking out the window.

"That's their mom right?" she asks glancing in the rear view mirror at the four year-olds singing to some kiddie song on the radio.

I nod as a response. "It's a shame she gave them up, not that I blame her, but at least they're with us now."

She looks at me for a moment. "You know why she gave them up?"

"Alex is very much like my dad" I begin laughing at the thought, "even more than Kate. See I never really understood why dad liked Kate. She knew nothing about him or what he did for a very long time. I don't know. Dad met Kate and fell instantly in love with her. It took a while for them to get together and when they finally did, it wasn't long before I was told that I was getting a little brother."

I glance in the back seat a sleepy looking Braden who's got the headphones from my I-phone stuffed in his ear trying to drown out the sounds of the obnoxious radio and high pitched four year old singing.

"My dad loved Kate more than anything, but I think he might have been more in love with the idea than her. Alex on the other hand" I say smiling, "Was really neat. I've only met her a dozen times, but in my opinion her and dad are perfect for eachother. They argue about everything and although they seem like they don't get along well, they trust eachother completely. At least that's what I think."

Elizabeth gives me a smile, "I think I'd like to meet this woman someday."

"Maybe you will" I reply. "And to answer your earlier question, she gave them up because it was safer for them. What her and my dad do, did, wasn't safe for little kids to be around. Dad knows I shouldn't have been around it, but initially he was in as deep so it worked and by the time he started moving on to higher risk situations, I was six and could take care of myself. Plus he had Kate to watch me and I had Pete. We took care of eachother."

She smiles at me, "Callen, you are one brave and incredibly smart little girl."

All I can do is smile back at her and for about the thousandth time, wish she was my mom.

…...

It's about two hours later that I'm standing in the middle of Grand Central Station with dad and Mozzie, watching the twins twirl in circles eating ice cream cones. Well actually I'm the only one watching them, dad's looking around searching for some sign from Kate, and Mozzie's trying to convince him that there are better things to do with their time.

_"Kate leaves you a bottle with a map on it," _Mozzie yells throwing his arms out_, "And this is where it leads us? Grand Central Station?"_

He looks over at me and I shrug. Me and dad had this conversations earlier. Kate leaves an X and we followed it. I'm not sure what else there is. Granted she could have picked something more familiar maybe, you know something we could actually figure out because this is just nuts.

Dad's pacing and running his finger over the X on the infamous wine bottle we all love so much (and I do mean that in the most sarcastic way possible).

_"It's something I'd recognize, something significant"_ he says continuing to pace.

_"Significant? Grand Central Station!"_ Mozzie shouts making some heads turn.

Dad ignores him and looks over at me, "Call?"

I shrug, "Sorry dad but I agree with Mozzie, this place is too big."

"Exactly. _She could've sent us anywhere, so she sends us to a place that leads everywhere?"_ Mozzie adds, making his point explicitly clear.

Dad keeps walking and murmuring to himself, stopping just inside a doorway and examining the arch. I follow him over there, the twins bounding behind me while Mozzie just keeps shouting. As annoying as my dear uncle is ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, he's right. This is definitely something Kate would do and I'm starting to get annoyed.

"Daddy what are you doing?" Gabby asks tugging on his leg.

He's looking up at the arch again and holds out the bottle for someone to take, so I rush to grab it realizing that the four year can in no way handle it.

And now I'm holding the stupid bottle. The one with all the answers, the token of my childhood I really wish didn't exist. Yes, dad explained to me why he ran for Kate. Yes I know he loves me, and yes I know it is possible she could be in trouble but still I never saw her as having good intentions and what I didn't tell Elizabeth is that honestly I don't think she would have stuck around as long as she did if it weren't for Brady.

It is possible I'm wrong, but I'm still waiting for that evidence and am kind of hoping this, whatever it is we are doing, is it.

_"You know, there's a great oyster bar in there"_ Mozzie says gesturing through the doorway.

Dad's in his own world though and is climbing on the edge of something to reach some high corner of the arch.

"Look, daddy found the treasure. There's the X just like in the pirate movies. X marks the spot" Grayson says squealing and jumping up and down with his twin.

I follow my brother's gaze, and he's right. There's an X in the corner of the doorway and sure enough dad's pulling a folded sheet of paper from it.

"_Again"_ Mozzie says in disbelief giving me a look that screams this whole idea is way too insane.

"_Kate always liked the classics"_ dad says, finally coming back down to the real world.

He takes a seat on ledge he was just on and the twins run over to him trying to get a look at the 'treasure' dad found. They're gonna be really disappointed as soon as they figure out we didn't find money or toys.

Mozzie walks right over to dad, sits next to him, and grabs the paper reading it out loud.

_"'Dear Neal, heard you're looking for me, wish I could explain more, but time is not on our side, but you need to stop looking. No one can deny what we have, but it's over. Please move on. Kate.'"_

"That doesn't sound like treasure" Gabby says disappointed and her and Grayson move away from the adult moping.

No guys, it certainly doesn't. Well, at least I now have good reason to hate Kate again. You know, she never deserved him anyway and this just proves it. I hate to say I told him so, but I told him so. Part of me was hoping, for his sake and even Brady's that I was wrong. Well, guess not.

I look over at dad, he doesn't exactly look crushed. _"All this for goodbye"_ he whispers, a faraway look on his face like he's thinking.

Oh no. He's thinking. Crap, he just never quits does he. This isn't over. It should be, but of course it's not.

_"Oddly bipolar,"_ Mozzie notes handing dad back the note.

You think. It's Kate, everything she did was like that, and this should be no different. But man how I hoped it was. He won't stop. He won't except it and move on, and part of me new no matter what, he wouldn't. But I really wish he would.

_"I'd rather have some oysters"_ Mozzie adds standing and taking one twin in each hand to lead them to the restaurant.

Me too buddy, me too. I would much rather have oysters.

Did I mention I hate oysters?


	21. Chapter 21

** Hey guys! So here's the next chapter, sorry it's kind of short (one scene) and probably not the greatest but I didn't want to leave you guys waiting any longer. I promise the next one will be better. Anyways thanks to everyone whos still reading it means a lot. I really love your reviews too. And sorry it keeps taking so long to update. **

**Only Callen and friends are mine. **

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><p>Chapter 21: The Art of Planning<p>

"Should we really have left Abbey alone with your dad?" Luc asks later that afternoon.

"Trust me, she'll be just fine. Besides they'll get more done with us out of the house" I reply.

After this morning's treasure hunt turned out to be a total bust, I called everybody so we could make some progress on our heist. Dad needed something to take his mind off Kate for a bit, so he's currently helping Abbey with her forging skills (of course, he doesn't know that), while the rest of us went to our hang out spot at Baskin Robin. Mozzie took the twins to the Park since they were really good this morning, and Elizabeth called saying that she would drop Braden off for dinner which dad said my friends could stay for as well. So basically other than the whole Kate essentially telling off us off thing, it's shaping up to be a pretty good day.

"Yeah I'm sure Abbs is loving getting to spend some one on one time with Neal" Pete says wiggling his eyebrows.

I punch him in the arm hard enough to bruise and give him a death glare, "Don't even".

He throws his hands up in mock surrender as him and Luc continue laughing. Boys can be so immature sometimes. "Hey knuckleheads, knock it off unless you both want to visit the Dentist."

Pete immediately pales at that and I flash him a smile. Luc on the other hand is still laughing, "The dentist, what kind of threat is that."

"Dude, don't" Pete says looking seriously at Luc, "do not joke about that."

"Why?" Luc says suddenly looking very scared.

"You don't want to know" Pete says shuddering.

Now I'm the one who's laughing, "Okay boys let's get back to work now that I know you'll both behave."

"Right, so what do we do first" Luc asks biting into his ice cream.

"Well first off, we're gonna need a projected date as to when this can happen" Pete says, "of course that'll all depend on how long it takes Abbey to paint the replica."

"Knowing my dad, it shouldn't be that long. I say we give them about three weeks, four tops. Abbey's already pretty good so it's just the finishing touches we need to worry about" I respond digging into the banana split me and Pete are sharing.

"That should work" he says pulling out some pamphlets from his bag, "The gallery's hosting a showcase for one of their new exhibits the first week of November so that gives about three and a half weeks."

"That's perfect" I say grabbing the paper from him, "this way all the focus will be on the exhibit and that area leaving the rest pretty vulnerable."

"What do you want me to do?" Luc asks then.

"We're gonna need you to figure out the number of guards on duty that night, a way to hack the camera's guarding the painting, and if there's any electronic security around it" Pete tells him.

"Sure, the program I just wrote should be able to hack into their database relatively easily" Luc says confidently.

"Great" Pete says clapping him on the back. "So if he takes care of that, then all we need is a way in" he says looking at me.

I think for a minute, "Alright the way I see it, we have three options. We could run a milk man."

"Too risky, the security checks for anything incoming would be too high" he says thinking.

"A Little Orphan Annie"

"We might be too old for that now, but let's keep it in mind. I think we might be able to use it for some recon if we use Gabby."

"Gabby might be too young, but what if we used Jessie?"

"Who's Jessie?" Luc says cutting in, but goes completely ignored by the both of us.

"Actually, both of them would probably be the best option. But either way, it won't work for the actually entry."

"So that leaves us with a Royal Flush" I say seriously.

Pete's face automatically lights up, "Now we're talking Ally Cat, that's perfect."

"We'll need a forger though" I say seriously.

"What's a Royal Flush?" Luc says cutting in again, but we still aren't listening to him because the two of us have entered a completely different world.

"What about Devlin?"

"After what happened between him and Mozzie in the Spanish Harlem job; no way"

"Could we use Tori then?"

"She hates my dad, there's no way she'd do us a favor."

"Call everyone hates your dad, he works with the fed's."

"Well then we're kind of at a road block Pete cause we need id's."

"I'm not a Caffrey, I'm sure I can get someone to do it."

"You're a Caffrey by trade, trust me you wouldn't get any further than I would" I tell him slightly upset that everyone I can think of is no good, when an idea suddenly hits me "Theo."

"You mean the eleven year old whose dad owns the copy place?"

I nod, "He'd do them for us easily, plus you're practically his role model."

Pete rolls his eyes at me. He's not too fond of Theo, although I don't really see why. See, Theo's this cute little kid who's sort of socially awkward so he doesn't have that many friends, but he's super smart and idolizes Pete. We met him last year at the park and we got to talking to him and the kid kind of stuck to us. I think we might be his only actual contact with people aside from his video game buddies. I don't mind though and Braden really likes the kid, Pete however I think just finds all the questions Theo asks him incredibly annoying.

"Fine, but you owe me for this" he says caving.

"Good. Oh and I think we need a third man" I say stuffing a big scoop of ice cream in my mouth.

"No way" Pete all but yells making some people turn and look at us. I elbow him to make him be quiet.

"Call, we're already splitting this four ways plus the fence" he whispers.

"Which you have yet to provide me with" I remind him.

"Point is" he says dragging it out, "is that we don't need another person. It's a four man job Call, which we have now turned into six if you count Theo and a fence, I'm not making it seven."

"First off" I say staring him in the eyes, "You aren't paying Theo, and second we don't have a four man team. Abbey's not going to help with the actually grab and I'm not letting Lucas in there either. We can deal if something goes wrong, but he's not experienced enough to help. No offense" I say directing the last part at Lucas.

"None taken" he says, although he looks incredibly confused right now.

I shoot him a reassuring smile before turning back to Pete. "I want to use Connor."

Pete starts choking on his ice cream and has to take a long drink of water before answering, "Absolutely not."

"Why do you have such a problem with him?" I ask accusingly.

"He's not family Call" Pete says giving me a glare.

"Neither are Lucas and Abbey" I shoot back.

"Yeah but they're friends and I trust them" he shoves right back.

"You only trust them because they're clean" I say harshly at him and then shooting Luc an apologetic look. "Besides, Connor is a friend."

Pete shakes his head, "No Connor's a street kid and a petty pick pocket."

"Pete, I'm a street kid and if it weren't for your grandparents you would be too" I whisper yell at him.

Me and Pete barely fight with one another, so it hurts even more when we actually do. Usually it's over something dumb, never a job. We always work well together when it comes to cons and other things like that, but ever since I met Connor he's been more on edge and I don't understand why. Connor makes a great addition to the team and he's a big help. Before we were using Brady, but he's little and no matter how good of a thief my brother is, there are some things I'd rather he not be a part of. So that's where Connor would come in. He really is a good kid and has great talent, he just a bad hand in life. His entire family was killed in a fire two years ago, with him being the only survivor. The poor kid lost both his parents and three little sisters. He's been living on the street ever since because he refused to go into foster care and ran away. I still don't understand Pete's dislike of him.

"Why do you have such a problem with him?" I ask again, "And don't give me some half-truth answer Pete."

He sighs and I notice the angry literally drain from his face. "Because this is our thing Callen. You and me, always has been. Were partners Callen and I'm fine with us needing a crew because well we do. But this is our thing, just like it was Ben and your dad's thing. This, this is like Kate all over again."

And just like that, I get it. I hated when dad brought Kate into our world, because it was our world. Eventually I got over it, but clearly I still hold a grudge over her. When Mozzie joined dad and Ben's little team, it was okay because it was Mozzie. But when Kate came, me, Pete, and Ben were all apprehensive of her, especially Ben.

"Pete" I say grabbing his hand in order to reassure him, "You're still my best friend. You will always be my best friend. Connor, he's just a nice kid who I think can be very beneficial to our schemes, but they will always be our schemes. Pete this is not at all like the Kate incident. You will always be more important to me than anyone else. Trust me if we're comparing you, Connor and me to dad, Ben and Kate, than you are definitely Kate, Ben and even Mozzie. Somerfield, you and me will always be partners in crime, co-conspirators, and if we ever get arrested we will totally be cell mates."

"I don't think they allow that" he says smiling at me finally.

"So we're cool" I say relieved that this won't turn into some huge argument.

"Always Ally Cat" he says releasing my hand and then holding it out in a fist for our handshake like he used to when we were little.

I roll my eyes and bump fists with him to participate in our childhood tradition. "So Connor?"

"Yeah Call, Connor's cool too" he says smiling.

"Great, now that you two are all done doing whatever, can somebody please explain to me what the heck just happened?" Luc shouts at the two of us.

"Sorry dude" Pete says slapping him on the back, "didn't mean to ignore you."

"Yeah well, if I'm going to help I'd like to know what's happening" he says trying not to sound too annoyed.

"Basically Abbs does the painting, you do the tech stuff we mentioned earlier, and also you need to get me and Pete on the guest list for the party…"

"And Connor"

"And Connor, but only after we get our buddy Theo to get us new id's" I finish smiling at Pete for finally including Connor in the group.

"So Connor's a friend of Callen's, Theo's an eleven year old id making kid who thinks Pete's the coolest person ever, and you guys want to use Callen's siblings and some kid named Jessie to do something" Luc says for clarification.

"When me and Call were little we used to do this thing where we got information by pretending to be orphans and getting adults to take pity on us so we could get into restricted areas. We're too old for that now, but the twins aren't so they can do it for us" Pete explains.

"And Jessie is…" Luc probes.

"She's a really cute seven year old orphan, who we try to take care of the best we can. That's it really" I say shrugging.

That really is it. Jessie lived in the apartment next door to us for the longest time, and then her aunt got cancer and passed away so she was put in the system and yeah, not really much left to tell. She's a sweet kid though and I feel the need to look out for her; street kids stick together no matter what.

"So that's the whole story" Luc asks double checking to make sure he didn't miss anything, not that I blame him considering all the info we just threw at him.

"That's it bro" Pete confirms as we shoot him matching smiles.

Luc takes a big breath, "Thank goodness, because I'm not sure I could take anymore."

"Oh Lucas sweetie were just getting started" I think smiling.


	22. Chapter 22

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

**Hey everyone, first off I wanted to wish everybody a happy holidays and new year. Hopefully it was great for all of you. I know I had fun.**

**Anyways sorry I havn't had time to post in a while, I've been out of state for a hockey tournement (which we won by the way, so yeahhh (sorry I'm just so excited I had to tell somebody)) and just got back yesterday and then had to go to my grandparents who live in a completely different state, so yeah I've been pretty busy and only had time to write during the nine hour car ride. Not that that's any excuse for these awfully slow updates. Really sorry about that. **

**So, now that I've gone off on a tagent again and bored you with my life details, I should let you get to the story. Again thanks to everyone who's stilll reading this. It means a lot, and I love getting your reviews. **

**Only Callen and the rest of her crew are mine. **

**Hope everyone has a great 2012!**

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><p>Chapter 22: Secret Meetings<p>

Ten steps make a right.

Two blocks then a left.

Past the alley with the smelly guy and then three more blocks for another turn.

"Where are we going exactly again?" Abbey asks following closely behind me.

"Conner" I respond without turning around. Pete took Luc to go check out the security at the museum because despite the fact that he agreed Conner could work with us, he'd still rather have as little contact with him as possible. So I'm stuck with Abbey.

"Are you sure you know where you're going? It's kind of creepy out here" she says coming closer behind me.

I roll my eyes at how much of a little kid she's being but try to reassure her anyways. "Look Abbs were almost here just one more turn, and were here" I say stopping next to a dumpster near an abandoned building.

"Now what" Abbey whispers looking slightly freaked out, "How do you know he's here?"

"Oh he's here" I say smirking and then turn to the building. "I saw a mockingbird in the park today" I say nonchalantly.

Abbey shoots me a questioning look which I ignore, instead choosing to listen for movement.

"What color was the mockingbird?" I hear from the shadows.

Smiling I turn and look up towards the voice, who jumps down from the railing he was sitting on.

"Connor" I say smiling at the five foot six boy with shaggy brown hair and green eyes.

"Hey Callen" he says giving me a quick hug. "Who's your friend?"

"Con this is Abbey, Abbey meet Connor" I say giving the introductions.

He nods towards Abbey and turns his attention back to me, "So what can I help you girls with exactly?"

"Remember Pete" I ask and it's hard to miss his obvious wince at my best friend's name.

He nods, "How could I forget"

I try to give him a reassuring smile, "Yeah well me and Pete, along with Abbey and our other friend Lucas have a job. I was wondering if you'd be our fifth man."

"What's the take" he asks looking Abbey over out of the corner of his eye. He's trying to determine if she's capable of pulling a heist.

"A Van Gough, "_A Pair of Old Shoes"_ to be specific" I tell him trying to judge his reaction.

He lets out a low whistle, "Wow Callen, that's….big".

"Tell me about it" Abbey huffs and I shoot her a look that reminds her she's the one who made the bet in the first place.

Connor gives her a funny look but turns his attention back to me, "Who's the forger?"

"Abbey" I say nodding in her direction, "Luc's our tech guy and me and Pete and hopefully you would do the swap."

"And you're sure we can pull this off?" he asks skeptically.

I shrug, "I think it's worth a shot. I mean it is the family business and all."

"You're crazy Call you know that" he laughs.

I shrug and smile my con man smile at him. "Meet us here Friday" I say handing him an index card with the time and location on it, "Me and Pete will go over the entry plan with you."

"Sure" Connor says taking the card, "See you girls later."

And with that he's gone again.

"Well that was cryptic" Abbey says looking at me, "What's the mockingbird thing about?"

I smile at her and begin walking back towards the main roads. "It's a Mozzie thing" I say referring to my paranoid uncle.

"He's the crazy guy right?" she asks still trying to keep the whole family straight. So far she's met everyone, even Jones who I kind of like surprisingly.

"Yeah, he's the crazy one" I say laughing at the description of the little man.

Me and Abbey keep walking and talking about soccer playoffs and upcoming tests and homework until we make it back to June's. Once were inside the apartment, I go to call Elizabeth to let her know I'm at dad's and will be home by dinner, while Abbey grabs us some snacks out of the cabinet. It's Wednesday right now, and since Saturday Abbey's been over here every single day so she pretty much knows her way around by now.

"Oh hey I thought I heard people" Braden says walking into the room from the back hall.

"Brady what are you doing here?" I ask my little brother hop grabs on Oreo from the package Abbey just pulled out and shoves the whole thing in his mouth.

He shrugs. "I didn't feel like going to work with Elizabeth so I came here" he says as crumbs tumble out of his mouth and onto the floor.

I roll my eyes and point for him to clean the mess up. He begrudgingly does so.

"So what are you two doing and can I help?" he asks innocently even though I already know that he knows exactly what we're doing.

"How?" I ask ignoring his question and wanting to know what he got into that he wasn't supposed too.

"I saw you, Pete and the other kid, Luc or whatever at the ice cream place on Saturday when Elizabeth took me to the doctor. You and Pete were talking to eachother like you do when you're planning something so I asked Elizabeth if I could use the bathroom and spied on you guys" he says grabbing another cookie.

I shoot him a death glare. "Braden Nicholas Caffrey, you're not supposed to spy on us, ever."

"Why not" he asks sweetly, "that's the best way to gain information."

The two of us have gone into a deep staring contest like we usually get into when one of us is upset at the other. We've been doing it since he was three and annoys dad a lot.

Apparently it annoys Abbey also. "Okay you guys" she says slamming two glasses of milk on the table, "Call he knows now so just tell him."

Braden flashes Abbey the signature Caffrey grin and I roll my eyes.

"He's eight Abbey you do know that right?"

She nods, "I'm aware, but eight, fourteen, twelve, anyway I look at it you're all way too young to be doing what you people seem to call fun."

Now both of us Caffrey's are flashing her matching grins and it's her turn to roll her eyes.

"Fine Brady" I say turning to my little brother and then whispering the plan in his ear, "And no you can't help."

"Aw, why not? That sounds awesome. Come on, please Callen" he begs making his puppy dog face that looks just like the one dad uses on Peter.

"No Brady you're too little for this" I tell him.

He crosses his arms in a pout and just when I think he's going to start whining, his face spreads into an evil grin.

Oh crap. Rule number 27 of being the daughter of a con, never underestimate your evil genius little brother.

"I'll tell Peter" he says grinning wickedly.

"Do and I'll murder you" I say seriously glaring at him, we've fallen back into our staring contest.

He shrugs, "So"

"Are you blackmailing me?" I ask my eyes never leaving his.

He shrugs again still not blinking, "Maybe. What's it to ya?"

I'm not caving. No way. There is no way I'm letting him help. Not a chance. Unfortunately for me I also know my little brother's not bluffing. The kid never bluffs, not even when we play cards. He just cheats so he always gets the upper hand. That's the other thing about having a family of criminals, it's impossible to have a family game night because no one can when due to all the cheating taking place. And yes we cheat at everything, even Candy Land.

"Tell you what Braden" I say laying out my cards for him. "You can help by making sure the night this goes down, dad and Peter are really busy and don't notice me not being here."

"What's my cut" he asks still not breaking gaze.

If all else fails, this kid would make one great lawyer someday. "I'll give you twenty bucks."

"Deal" he says picking up his glass and taking a long drink, his eyes never leaving mine.

"You guys are creepy" Abbey says as we finally break contact.

I smile at her and turn attention to the cookies. Something catches my eye though as I turn though and I jump up quickly to grab it.

"What is it sis?" Braden asks coming to stand behind me.

I don't answer but instead find myself holding Kate's note to dad. It's folded in multiple different directions, but three of the creases are more prominent than others.

"Callen" I hear Abbey asks warily.

Braden's standing next to me now on his toes in order to take a better look. I know he knows what it is.

I fold the letter along the creases so that three words appear on the page.

Here.

Friday.

Noon.

Kate, I think handing the paper to Brady so he can read it better, she's here.

"Mom's not gone?" he asks sounding somewhat hopeful and somewhat unsure.

I look back down at my little brother and for once he doesn't look like the tough confident miniature version of my dad he so often tries to be. Aright now he just looks like a scared little boy, who despite the fact that he got abandoned, just misses his mom. His mom, Kate's his mom. I mean, I guess she's mine too and even though I never really liked her, she still helped raise me. But she's his actual mom.

"I don't know buddy" I say trying to answer my little brother as honestly as possible.

Abbey stays quiet at the table, letting us have this sibling. Something I'm incredibly grateful to her for.

Braden leans in and wraps his arms around my waist for a hug and I hug him back as best I can. The moment breaks though when the front door flies open and my dad walks in.

Me and Braden step away from eachother quickly, Braden trying to put on a brave face for dad.

"Hey dad" I say deciding to speak up before dad can get his bearings and talk, "what are you doing home so earlier."

He shakes his head, "me and Peter are staking out a club, so I came home to change into something more appealing. What's going on with you two?"

"Nothing" Braden says moving back towards the table and purposefully avoiding dad's gaze.

"Right" dad says unconvinced, "because nothing ever happens in this family that's worth noting."

He smiles at Abbey who laughs in return; probably glad the tension has left the room. Sorry Abbs, I don't think we're done with this conversation just yet.

"But seriously what's up" dad asks finally noticing the letter that obviously wasn't where he set it this morning.

"So you're meeting with Kate Friday?" I ask also moving towards the table.

He nods, "Seems like it."

"Can we come?" Braden asks suddenly looking hopeful for a yes and a no at the same time.

Dad shrugs, "I don't know buddy. Me and you're mom need to talk and I don't know what's going to happen really."

Braden nods looking somewhat dejected so I intervene. My brother's happiness is always a top priority.

"Dad, take me and Braden with, I have lunch at noon so it's not like I'd be missing anything."

"Callen I really don't think that's such a great idea, megabyte" dad says looking somewhat torn about this.

I shake my head at him, "Look dad, I get that this is important to you, but it's important to us too. She abandoned us."

I emphasize the 'us' part to include all three of us because in reality she did abandon all of us.

"You're not the only one that wants to know why she left" I tell him staring directly into his eyes, "We're her kids too you know."

He nods "I know Call and Braden, buddy I'm sorry but I just, I'm not sure how things will work out and….."

"You don't want us to feel rejected again" I finish for him.

He rolls his eyes towards the ceiling, cupping the back of his neck with his hand. This is eating him up inside despite his cool exterior, and it's almost depressing to see him this lost.

But regardless of how I feel about his emotions right now, I want answers. I need to know why my so called mother, no matter how short the time was or how I ever felt about her, just up and walked away after everything we'd been through. I need to know, and this time my wants have to come before my dad's. No matter how bad I'll feel about it.

"You don't want us intruding on your little reunion fine," I say stepping closer to him, "but I'm not letting you keep your son from seeing his mother who he hasn't heard from in two years if it's what he wants. And this isn't me asking for permission, this is more of a courtesy head's up."

I refuse to drop my glare as I stare into his eyes. I know he knows I'm not bluffing because if there's one thing I love more than anything else in the world right now, it's my younger siblings and I will do anything for them. I've taken care of Braden for two years by myself and just because I got my dad back and have a roof over my head, doesn't mean that that stops. If my little brother wants to see his mom, then he's going to see his mom.

Dad drops my gaze and turns towards Braden who's been silently watching the exchange; the poor kid looks like he's trying real hard not to cry. You know with how mature he acts, I think we all seem to forget sometimes that he's only eight.

I watch dad's silent debate before he sighs and turns back to me, "Okay, I see your point and you're right. I promised to include you with this, and this is something you two deserve to be a part of. But if something happens…."

"We'll be fine" I say cutting him off yet again and then smiling at Abbey to assure her that everything's fine, "Don't worry, we'll stay out of trouble."

For the first time since the conversation started, I see both my dad and Braden smile.

"Yeah that's what I'm afraid of."


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys. So here's the next chapter, sorry once again for it taking so long but exams are now over and so is the first semester. My second semester has a lot less ap classes so hopefully i'll be able to write more often. **

**I wasn't too big a fan of the last chapter, but I hope this one's better although I'm not sure. **

**Anyways, enjoy and as always I love reviews so let me know what you think.**

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><p>Chapter 23: Parents Aren't Always What They Seem<p>

"Dad I don't think she's coming" I say to my father who's pacing semi-franticly searching for his girlfriend.

It's Friday and it was noon. Like five minutes ago. I'm starting to think that this is a waste of time, that Kate isn't actually coming. Should have known that from the beginning right?

"She'll be here" he says for the tenth time.

Brady's standing next to me looking very anxious. Not that I blame him.

"Callen" he whispers tugging on my sleeve, I look down at him. "What if she doesn't come?"

"I don't know buddy" I say trying to smile at him.

I look around again trying to see if there's something we missed. Kate could be anywhere. I'd be lying if I said the fact that this could be a set up hasn't crossed my mind. My dad's got a lot of enemies and it's pretty common knowledge that if you want to get at my dad, you do it through Kate.

Kate, not his kids, Kate. Normally I'd be offended, but hey as long as it's not my life on the line I think I can let this one slide.

Still though I'm not sure how much longer I can take this waiting. Just as I'm about to once again tell dad that the love of his life isn't going to show, I feel a hand on my shoulder.

Looking up I see Mozzie standing next too me and eating oysters. Go figure.

Dad's still pacing, but I can tell he senses another set of eye's on him.

"_Forbidden romantic meetings are kind of personal Moz_" he says without missing a beat.

I decide not to point out the fact that me and Braden here kind of ruins the romantic part. Braden looks over at me and I motion for him to keep quite. Mozzie can talk dad into and out of anything, he's probably the only one who can.

Except for Kate obviously.

"_Like I was really going to let you come alone. What if the guy with the ring planted the note?_" Mozzie says.

Dad shoots him an irritated look. "_He didn't._"

"_You'll be happy I came with a red laser dot suddenly appears on your forehead_" Mozzie adds and I whack him in the arm.

"You're not helping" I whisper.

Dad stops pacing and looks at Mozzie, "_Enough with the hero talk, Haversham._"

I shoot Mozzie a look that says 'told you'.

"_Okay maybe she wrote it three days ago maybe three months ago." _Mozzie shouts against the wind.

"_She'll be here_" dad repeats.

"_Well it is Friday, and it was noon_" Moz shouts, repeating my exact thoughts from earlier. "_So where is she?_"

I start to say that this time it looks like she won't when a payphone nearby starts going off.

We all stop and stare at each other, than the phone before dad darts through the crowd bumping into people and grabbing the phone.

I wait a whole half a second before scrambling after him, Braden quick on my heals.

"_Kate_" dad says desperately into the receiver.

Holding my breath for the inevitable I wait for what feels like forever before dad's face splits into an incredibly happy and relieved grin.

"_Kate_" he breathes.

I smile glad to see my dad smile for once, but then his face turns worried.

"_Where are you_" he asks looking around frantic.

He listens for something and then I hear him mutter "_You're here._"

Braden finally finds his voice. "Mommy. Where's mommy" he yells lunging for dad.

I grab him before he attacks our father. Dad spares us a glance but goes back to the phone.

I try to silently soothe my baby brother while still listening to the ongoing conversation.

Dad's still roaming the crowds with his eyes and I follow them. And then I see her.

She's on a bridge a bit in the distance, but I can tell it's her.

I stumped not sure what to think.

Braden must have noticed what I was looking at and then we both heard dad breath out the word "_Hi._"

He's smiling and then Braden kicks me in the shin and takes off running. I lunge for him, but Mozzie grabs him by the arm for me.

Dad goes to pick up Braden while simultaneously saying in to the receiver, "_stay there I'm coming._"

He stops half way in the act of bending down, "_you mean with the ring_".

I look at him questioningly, and then remember the photo I saw my first week at the Burkes. Dad thinks someone has Kate. I'm skeptical, but I'm starting to think he may actually be right.

"_I don't care_" dad says sternly, and the whole world suddenly stops.

Braden quits squirming, Mozzie looks at dad, and I try to reach for dad wanting nothing more than to shield my father from the turmoil in his life.

"_What_" dad says and then a long pause. "_Why_"

I really want to know what's going on. Dad's face is contorted in sadness. I desperately need to hear both sides of this.

"_I hid a lot of things_" dad says searching for her eyes.

So that's it, she wants the stuff he stole. 'Maybe it's a ransom' a voice in my head says. 'Yeah or maybe she's just been using him all along' another one responds.

Either way I don't like what's going on.

"_Dangerous why? Kate just tell me I can protect you_" dad pleads and it actually breaks my heart.

No matter how much I hate is girlfriend, I love my dad. And him in this much pain only makes me angrier with whoever's hurting him.

Dad's voice suddenly becomes stern and he shakes his head. "_No. It's the only leverage I've got. Just stay there I'm coming up._"

Before I can grab his attention he's dropped the phone and is running towards Kate.

"Neal" Mozzie yells at the same time I scream "Dad".

Braden picks up the dangling phone and I shout to Mozzie to deal with him while I take off in dad's direction.

I'm running faster than ever before and screaming his name repeatedly. People are staring at me but I don't care, all I know is that I need to get to my dad.

I stop running when I reach the top of the bridge Kate was standing on to see my dad frantically searching and screaming for Kate.

I grimace as I watch the screams go from desperate to weak yells and then whispers. His legs are wobbling and it's obvious how hurt he is.

I close the small gap between us so that I'm standing directly in front of him. He runs his hand through his hair and when his eyes finally meet mine, I can see the tears pooling there threatening to fall.

"She's gone" he whispers so quietly I almost can't hear it.

I just nod, and pull him into a hug. He buries his face in my hair and I rub his back reassuringly not saying anything for the moment.

"We'll find her dad" I say breaking the silence.

He lifts his head and wipes his eyes taking a deep breath. "I know" he finally says more confidently than he was a few seconds ago.

I nod. "You ah, you okay" I ask kicking my foot on the sidewalk.

He takes another breath and nods. "Yeah, I'm good."

I don't comment on the fact that he's not and for the minute we ignore it.

"Your brother okay?" he asks wrapping an arm around my shoulder and turning so we can see where Mozzie and Braden are standing.

"He's an eight year old whose mom left him and who now thinks she was kidnapped" I say looking up at him, "You tell me?"

Dad sighs, "Yeah I probably could have handled this better."

I start to say 'you think' but then stop realizing that it was my fault for Braden even being here in the first place. My brother's issues are my fault, not my dad's.

"Alright, well I'm gonna go talk to him. The two of us haven't had a chance to sit down alone and talk about any of this and I think I owe him that" dad says solemnly.

I grab his arm, "Hey, you're a good dad. Don't ever forget that. You're doing the best you can. We love you, all of us. And nothing is ever going to change that."

He smiles, "You know Call, sometimes I think you're way to smart for what you get credit for."

"Don't forget that either" I say smiling.

…...

"Aren't you supposed to be in school" I hear Peter say as I slam the door to the Burke household.

"Bite me" I snap rolling my eyes and then immediately retracting my statement, "Sorry, I didn't mean that."

After leaving dad, I decided I didn't really care about whether or not I went back to school. There were various texts from Pete on my phone but I wasn't in a mood to talk to him either, so instead I decided to come to the only place I felt safe at the moment.

Peter nods licking his lips. "Bad day."

I shrug taking a seat next to him at the table and starting to play with the fringes on a placemat.

"Wanna talk about it" he says setting down his drink as Elizabeth shoots me a sympathetic look.

I shake my head. Honestly, I do want to talk to someone about something. I don't like keeping all of this inside, and I can't talk to dad because it's about him. Mozzie's out of the question for obvious reasons, and my friends I love to death but this isn't something I feel like they could help with. What I really want is my mom.

Not my actual mom or even Kate. Just a mom. You know someone to listen to your problems and give sage advice. Someone to lie and tell you everything will be okay even when you know for a fact it won't be. I've never had a mom like normal kids before, ever. And to be honest, I've never had a normal dad either. I love my dad, that will never change. And he's without a doubt the greatest dad ever, but sometimes I wish I could have a mom and a dad and a house that's a home and not just a hideout.

Sometimes life feels suckish. This is one of those times.

Peter and Elizabeth are still looking at me. Looking at me like concerned parents would look at a kid.

I want to tell them everything, both of them, but Peter works with dad. And I can't tell him things like this, it would make me feel like I was betraying my father. I'm not technically because I'm pretty sure Peter knows dad's looking for Kate, but still it's just not right.

Elizabeth seems to recognize this because she turns to Peter, "Honey, why don't you go back to work. Didn't you say you had a new case for you and Neal to solve?"

"Right" he says nodding and then standing, "Um I'll call the school on the way and let them know that she's not going back."

"Thank you" Elizabeth mouths to him.

"You might want to call Braden's school too" I mumble without looking up.

I can hear Peter grumble but he lets it go otherwise. I wait as he kisses Elizabeth and they say there good byes.

He stops by my chair on the way out and kneels down. "Callen" he says calmly.

I turn my head to look at him.

"Kiddo, I know you and me aren't all buddy-buddy or anything but I do care. If you ever want to talk, I'll listen. Okay?" he says sincerely.

I nod, "Thanks Peter. I really mean it."

And I do. Despite never wanting to admit it, I like Peter. He's really smart and puts up with all of dad's antics. Anyone who can deal with that deserves a gold star in my book. Plus he's good with Braden and the twins. He's really trying. Last weekend he took Grayson and Gabby to Central park, just the three of them, and the twins came home super happy. Apparently, he even let them get ice cream. He's a natural dad whether he'll ever admit it or not. Although he still needs to work on his emotional approach, but for now Elizabeth's great in that department.

"Okay" he says clapping his hands together. "Stay out of trouble."

I nod and give him a small smile.

It takes all of two seconds after he leaves for Elizabeth to speak.

"So sweetie, why the long face" she questions sweetly.

I smile, "Hi Elizabeth."

She smiles back, "You hungry. I'm guessing you skipped you lunch period."

I shrug.

"How about I make you some Mac'n Cheese. Does that sound good?" she asks already getting up to make it.

"Sure" I say knowing no matter what I say; I'll end up eating Mac'n Cheese for lunch.

I stand to follow her into the kitchen, one of my favorite rooms of the house. It's cute and cozy, just like the whole house.

She pulls out the pot for the noodles and then pours me a glass of apple juice.

"Sit" she says motioning to the island and setting the glass on the counter.

I hop up without second thought. "So how's your day?" I ask casually.

"Good" she says smiling "I went groccery shopping this morning. Got you some more Gatorade and some fruit snacks for the twins."

"Thanks" I say smiling at her, she's waiting for me to bring it up and I'm more than happy to wait.

"Hey Elizabeth" I ask, suddenly having the urge to know the answer to a question I've been wondering since I got here. "Why don't you and Peter have any kids?"

She dumps the noodles into the pot and turns to face me. "You know, I don't think I have a good answer for you sweetie."

"Do you want kids?" I ask curiously.

She smiles at me as she leans back against the opposite counter. "Honestly, I'm not sure."

Upon getting an odd look from me, she elaborates. "When me and Peter were dating, we talked about it sure. Then we got married and well, we got into our careers so we didn't think it was the right time, and then Peter got wrapped up in a very long case…"

"Dad's case" I add in.

She smiles, "Yes, your dad's case. But sweetie it wasn't that, I promise. We just have never really been those people who felt like we needed to have kids. We'd love it if we had kids, but it was just never really a priority. Besides as I'm sure you've noticed Peter's not really that great with them."

I laugh a little at that, "I think I have to disagree. Peter may be a little awkward at first, but once he gets going I think he does a great job. You would both make great parents."

"Thanks" she says as the timer goes off and she begins to add the cheese. "Sweetie what's this about?"

I take the bowl she's offering me and smile a thanks, taking the moment to think about what I want to say.

"Callen?" she asks slowly.

"I don't have a mom" I say suddenly and then freeze. Why did I choose that? Of all the lies I could have told, I went with the truth.

"Oh sweetie" Elizabeth says walking closer and sitting on the counter next to me.

Deciding that I since I already said that there's no point in stopping now, I continue. "I, I never knew my actual mom, and Kate was close I guess but I didn't exactly like her all the time. I don't know. Braden was so upset today because Kate is his mom and she's missing. He was hurt, but I don't feel like that. I mean I don't want Kate to get hurt because dad loves her and so does Braden. But I'm not sure how I feel knowing that something may have happened to her. I hated her when I thought she abandoned us, but now that she might have been kidnapped. I'm not sure what to think. Elizabeth, what if I'm wrong."

"Hey" she says wrapping her arm around me and pulling me into a hug. "It'll be okay."

"How do you know that?" I ask pulling away.

She smiles, "Because I know your dad. Now, he may not make the best life choices but when it comes to it your dad has a heart bigger than anyone I've ever met. He loves you guys, and Kate too. He won't let anything happen to you guys."

"You're probably right" I say after thinking about it. If Kate really is in danger, dad will figure it out, he always does.

"Of course I am" she replies. "And about the whole not having a mom thing, sweetie you're missing an important piece of information."

I look at her confused, "What's that?"

"You my dear have me" she says hopping off the counter. "Just because me and Peter don't have kids of out own, doesn't mean we don't like to think we don't have any."

I raise my eyebrows questioningly at her.

"Carpools, play dates, shopping for snacks, soccer practices, bed time stories, honey if I'm not a mom already than.." she says trailing off at the end.

I give her a smile. She's right, as always.


	24. Chapter 24

**Hello again, **

**sorry for the long wait, I honestly thought I'd be able to post sooner than this. Oh well. Anywho, heres the next chapter. Hope you like it, and as always, I love hearing feed back so please review. **

**Only Callen and her colorful cast of friends and siblings are mine. **

* * *

><p>Chapter 24: Back to the Super Max<p>

Three weeks later, things were finally starting to look up. Soccer season had officially ended with us making it to the second round of playoffs before losing 4-3 in overtime. It was a great game though, and in-door starts in a few weeks so I'm not all that disappointed. Things have also been pretty calm here at Casa de la Burke. Braden's taken up playing basketball which should keep him to busy to attempt to cause a lot of trouble, and Elizabeth put the twins in swim lessons at the local rec center as soon as she discovered they couldn't swim. So basically all of us kids and Elizabeth really have been busy with our own activities.

Peter and dad have been also getting along better; although that's not to say the con isn't at all irksome. Just last week in fact he decided to make a side deal with an Interpol agent and not tell Peter. Mr. Super FBI guy found out anyways though and was seriously furious. In dads defense he did it for Kate.

And yes were still dealing with that whole issue.

So recently we discovered that 1) were looking for something my father has stolen, though we have no clue what that may be considering his plethora of crimes (we are certain though that it is not George Washington's love letters. 'Who would even steal those?' you ask. My father that's who. Nut job) and 2) according to miss unhelpful Interpol agent, the person who has Kate works for the FBI. Which totally narrows down the suspect list. (Eye Roll).

Anyways, I'm only sort of helping them figure it out. Mozzie has basically taken to looking into every agent he could come up with and dads starting to get a little aggravated. I would help more now that I'm semi concerned Kate might actually be in danger although I'm still upset with her so involvement is minimal.

Besides I've got more pressing issues, like pulling off the heist of the year.

Abbey finished her replicated painting this past Saturday and although it's not a Caffery caliber portrait, it'll definitely convince some simple minded tourists. We also paid Theo a visit that same day, and the over eager to please eleven years old was happy to whip up some fake ids. Me and Pete will be posing as a couple of rich heirs to our fathers billion dollar estate, and Connor will be the nephew of a duke whose uncle found an old painting he wanted to donate to the gallery and is sending is young nephew who goes to boarding school in the city to check out the security of the facility.

Luc got everything with the tech stuff all set; last week we got him into the security booth at the gallery by pulling a Little Orphan Annie. What we did was take Gabby and Jessie, who was incredibly happy to see us, to the gallery where the two of them made the biggest scene ever. I have never seen them cry so much. Gabby is going to make a great actress someday. The crying and screaming drew practically every guard towards the two innocent girls in the center, giving Luc and Pete enough time to sneek into the booth so Luc could do his tech thing.

It's a fool proof plan if you ask me.

Of course it's fool proof for literally every hitch up except for your father getting thrown back in prison and then effectively escaping and now having his name on the top of the FBI's most wanted list.

And yes, it happened again.

Im not kidding about this either; my dad right now is missing after he jumped out of the window of a judges chamber, on to an awning below, and took off down the street.

I am aware of the fact that my father is crazy in case you were wondering.

It all began last Friday morning with a smiple phone conversation. We were all at the breakfast table, Peter trying to talk to dad on the phone, Elizabeth trying to get the boys to stop throing cereal at eachother, Gabby to stop twirling in her new skirt and sit down to eat, and me not really helping by laughing at Satchamo who was attempting to catch the food out of the average morning in any American household probably.

"Hey knock it off" Peter snapped his fingers at the boys.

They didn't hear him over their laughter though and now I was laughing out loud at Peter's attempt to calmly get the boys to behave.

He shot me a look but that just made me laugh harder.

Finally Peter broke, "Braden Nicholas and Grayson Lane stop throwing your breakfast and eat it already or you can excuse yourselves from the table. Gabriella Elise, same goes for you. You can twirl after you eat and Callia Alexis stop encouraging them, you're older than that."

By the time he was done with his rant, the house had gone dead silent; you could probably hear a pin drop. Rather than a pin though, we hear my dad's voice from the other end of the phone still in Peter's hands.

"Did you just full name my kids" dad's voice said coming across the line somewhat amused.

Peter just sighed and rolled his eyes. "You can't blame me, it's like dealing with four of you every morning, and afternoon, and evening."

"Aww Peter, you just can get enough of me huh?" dad joked.

Another eye roll from Peter.

The rest of Peter's conversation was blocked out by me who was severely irritated with the FBI agent at the moment. No one full names a Caffery, especially me.

"So what happened at Le Joyau?" Elizabeth asked once Peter hung up.

"Don't know yet. They called and were a little light on the details. They may or may not have been robbed" Peter responds.

My head snapps up immediaely intrigued by the prospect of a new case. It'll be better for me if dad and Peter are ocupied with an actuall thief the night of the heist.

"So they called the FBI, not the police?" Elizabeth asks pouring a pouting Gabby some milk.

"Must be my dazzling reputation. I don't know what can be so valuable at a clothing store" Peter says smiling.

"Yeah the reputaion" I whisper to Braden who giggles making Peter glare at us.

"Well, hopefully nothing to do with the promotion" Elizabeth says ignoring the comotion.

"What promotion?" Braden asks attemting to be helpful.

"They're displaying the world's most exotic pink diamond" Elizabeth answers attemting to make Gabby eat.

"That might have something to do with it" Peter says.

"So were definitely sure it's not you're so called dazziling reputation" I mock.

"Watch it" he snaps back narrowing his eyes at me and then truning back to Elizabeth,

"That might have something to do with it."

I hop up from the table to put my bowl away. "Well whatever it is, I'm sure you'll find the right guy. You always do" I add trying to get back in his good graces. It'll do me no good if I'm grounded the night of the heist.

"Yes we do" he replies grinning, "we certainly do."

...

School was, well school, a giant waste land that added absolutely no value to my day. Except for seeing my partners in crime of course. We avoided talking about the heist during lunch though; to afraid we would jinx it to actually mention it, so instead we steered towards more neutral topics like soccer and Mozzie stories.

I was sitting in eighth hour English when things took their downhill turn.

I was busy attempting not to fall asleep during Ms. Venderson's bad acting out of a seen from Romeo and Juliet when a knock came from the door. Mrs. Venderson stopped in her reenactment of the balcony scene and went to open the door.

"Uh, sorry for the interruption" a voice I immediately recognized said making my head pop up and look towards the door.

"Can I talk to one of your students for a minute? Callen" Peter said giving me a nod.

"I'm sorry sir may I ask what this is about, you understand I can't just allow one of my students into the hall with you" my annoying teacher answered.

I was tying to keep it cool as Peter gave her a tight smile. Inside though I was freaking out. Dad got hurt, or Braden or one of the twins, or maybe even Elizabeth; though from the look on Peter's face it was probably my dad.

"I understand that completely" Peter said as kindly as possible, "I'm Agent Peter Burke with the FBI, this is agent Jones." He and Jones, who I just realized was there, pulled out there badges for the teacher to see.

Pete shot me a worried look from his seat across the classroom; I ignored him for the moment.

"Call" Peter said putting his badge back as quickly as he got it out.

I got up immediately and started walking towards the door as nonchalantly as possible.

"Ooohhh, what did you do Callen" Morgan said mockingly as I walked past her desk, "rob a bank or something."

I rolled my eyes at her childish antics and although I wanted to punch her in the face; I restrained myself with both my teacher and two FBI agents in the room.

The second I joined peter in the hall though I dropped my cool. "What happened, where's dad?"

"Prison" Peter answered simply, trying to gauge my response.

"Why?" I asked stretching out the question. Honestly id thought he'd be hurt not back in the slammer.

Peter looked to Jones who gave him the 'you might as well tell her the whole thing'.

"We found evidence that suggests that he was the one who stole the diamond that we were talking about at breakfast this morning" he answers in one breath.

I just stare at him blankly. And then I start laughing.

"What evidence? Peter there's no way. He'd never do something like that and besides did you forget about that giant plastic thing strapped to his leg. Check it, he's clean."

"It's not that simple" Peter cringes.

I shake my head, "How is it not that simple?"

"His tracking anklet went off during the time the jewelry was stolen" Jones supplies.

I stop laughing.

"His initials were on the diamond" peter adds sadly.

"Like the bonds" I say more to myself than them, "He never should have told you that."

"Peter" I say turning to my foster father, "my dads not an idiot. He wouldn't do the same thing twice."

Peter gives me an unsure look.

"You think he did it don't you?" I ask meekly.

"I don't know what to believe" he responds avoiding my eyes.

Seeing the on comings of one of my freak out sessions, he continues with "Look I'm gonna do what I can okay. OPR's in town, there the ones who want your dad arrested. Im gonna keep looking."

"He didn't do it" I manage to spit out between ragged breaths. I really don't want to panic while at school.

Jones seems to notice my predicament. "What do you need Call?"

"Pete. Get Pete." I say sitting down by a locker, Peter bending over me as Jones runs off to grab my best friend.

Pete comes rushing down the hall less than ten seconds later in a full on sprint, Jones behind him with both of our backpacks.

"Ally cat breathe" Pete says knelling in front of me.

I take a deep breath and then stand up grabbing my back pack from Jones and Pete's hand in one quick motion.

"I'll be home later. I promise" I shout as I take off down the hall dragging Pete next to me.

Peter must have realized I needed a minute because he didn't say anything, not that I was listening anyways.

…...

"He didn't do it Pete" I say sitting down on the smooth roof.

"I know Call" he replies for probably the hundredth time. He doesn't sound annoyed though, just supportive.

We both turn back to the sky where the sun is setting for the day. It's a beautiful night for early November despite the cold weather we've had this year. Me and Pete have been sitting on the roof of the library for the last four hours doing nothing but just sitting quietly. We had started our homework a bit ago, but neither of us was really into doing it and neither of us really cared either.

"Are we all set for the job next Friday?" I ask, desperate to discuss anything besides my father.

Pete nods, never one to let me down.

"Good" I say nodding. It was Friday now, which meant we had a whole week before this went down and I wanted everything to be perfect.

I checked the time on my phone and realizing the time and the number of missed calls from both Elizabeth and Peter, I realized I better get home before agent burke sends the cavalry.

"Come on" I say tugging on Pete to get up, "I'm hungry. Elizabeth probably made pizza"

Before he can open his mouth to say anything, I cut him off. "Sleep over?"

He sighs, "Course Ally Cat. Besides how could I pass up Elizabeth's cooking."

Friday night was a little more glum than normal. Me and Pete skipped family movie instead deciding to hang in my room tossing a sock ball back and forth, talking about ways we could murder Morgan for the rumors we know shell spread about why two FBI agents pulled us out of class.

Saturday wasn't much better, both of us and the two adults put on a pretty good actor the four year olds and Braden although I'm convinced he didn't buy it. I however wasn't about to tell any of them that heir father was once again in jail until the verdict was settled on Wednesday. I think peter was pretty happy about that too, even though he told me it was my decision.

Pete ended up staying over Saturday too, more for the fact that he didn't feel like getting roped I to going with his grandma to her bridge club. I was more than happy to have the company, to keep my mind off of things. I wasn't bothered by the fact that my dad was in prison again, I was more annoyed with the fact that there appeared to be some OPR Agent that had it out for my dad. Fowler, Mozzie had said when I talked to him. Speaking of Mozzie, he and dad were working on their latest genius plan. Mozzie was getting a university of phoenix on line degree so he could act as dad's lawyer. "Go Cardinals!"

Sunday afternoon, I decided it was time to pay my dear old man, who wasn't actually dear or old, a visit.

"Can I help you?" the less than enthusiastic guard behind the front desk asked.

"Yes hi, I was wondering if I could talk to one of your prisoners" I asked sweetly.

"Kids visiting hours aren't happening right now, you'll have to come back later and with an adult" he told me and Pete looking far less than enthused.

"Oh I'm not here to visit" I state blankly, "My father, agent peter burke, dropped a felon off here the other day, his CI to be more specific. Me and my friend here had been planning on interviewing Mr. Caffery for a school project but then my father had to step away for the weekend and with his CI on a probationary basis, he was sent back here for the time being. My projects due tomorrow and my dad said that it would be okay if I came to interview him."

The guy looks at me skeptically but then begins to riffle through some papers. "What'd u say your dads name was again?"

"Agent Peter Burke. He's head of the white collar crimes division special cases team At the New York offices here" I answer crisply and then as an after thought add, "If it's a problem, I'm sure the warden could clear anything up. He and my dad are quite good acquaintances."

The guard snaps whatever he was looking at closed. "Nope not necessary. Who'd you want to talk to?"

"Neal Caffery. Oh and id prefer to talk face to face if at all possible. It would make writing the report much easier" I answer.

"Sure" he says leading us back to the area with the picnic benches where I met with my dad the last time. "It'll just be a sec."

"Nice" Pete says once the guard is out of ear shoot.

I shrug. "No biggie"

The doors reopen a few minutes latter and the guard walks in with dad in tow.

"Thanks Joe" I say reading the guards name tag as he uncuffs dad.

"No problem miss burke" he replies and then with a nod to the guard positioned just outside the room, Joe's gone back to his post.

"So miss burke how can I help you" dad mocks once the guards are out of ear shot.

"Shut up Caffery" I say rolling my eyes.

He laughs, " hey Pete"

"Hi Neal" Pete says giving him a fist bump.

I roll my eyes. Dad doesn't do fist bumps with anyone but Pete because its something that Ben and Pete used to do and dad kept trying to keep the memories of Ben alive for his little brother.

"So what are you two doing here?" dad asks cutting straight to the point.

"I want to know what you're doing back in the super max" I say way too calmly.

Dad looks me square in the face, "what ever peter told you I did, I didn't do it."

"Okay now you sound like a kindergartener accused of taking an extra cookie" I reply looking away.

"We know you didn't do it" Pete says cutting in, "what we want to do is know how we can help prove you didn't do it."

"Well Moz is taking care of most of it. I'm not really sure what else there is for you to do" he answers with the most honest face I have probably ever seen on the con.

I sigh not sure what else to do. I don't want to just sit around and do nothing, but he's right.

Dad notices my dejected looking face.

"Hey megabyte, don't worry I've got a plan okay. I'll be back home with you kids before you know it."

"You better be" I say seriously as the door to the room opens up again.

"So hows' the report going daughter?" Peter asks in a somewhat sarcastic manner.

I smile at him fakely, "Wonderful. Glad you made it home alright."

He shakes his head at all three of us. "You two, car now" he says pointing towards me and Pete.

"As you wish" I say standing up and wrapping dad in a quick hug. "Love you dad."

"Love you too megabyte" he whispers as he lets go.

As I pass Peter I shoot him an evil look. "He's telling the truth" I say confidently, not waiting for a response as I exit the room.

Believe it or not, I actually have faith that the agent will do the right thing.


	25. Chapter 25

**HEY, **

**Sorry for the wait. My hockey team has been on a roll though and playoffs were this week so I have been super busy. All the hard work payed off though because WE'RE GOING TO STATE! I'm beyond excited and was up until like two in the morning today so I'm sorry if this chapter is a little whacky. I'm running on little sleep and a lot of hyperness at the moment. **

**Anywho, here's the next chapter. Please review, I love the feedback. And I'm super excited about the next chapter so hopefully I post it soon although with STATE! next weekend I'm not sure. **

**Okay enough of my ramblings. Here you go...**

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><p>Chapter 25: Almost There<p>

The coming days, wasn't going any better. Peter was still skeptical on whether or not to believe dad, and Mozzie was so roped up in helping dad with whatever they were up too that I didn't really get the chance to talk to him.

I knew my dad was innocent, but proving it to every other person on the planet was proving to be a really difficult challenge. Plus to make matters worse, I was being harassed by this OPR guy, Agent Fowler, who was definitely out to get my dad.

"Look I told you already that I have no idea what you're talking about" I said to the man sitting across from me.

He just glares at me, "Somehow I doubt that. You're trying to tell me that your dad doesn't let you in on his little capers."

"Yes genius that's exactly what I'm saying" I huff completely annoyed.

"Don't get snippy with me Ms. Caffery, I can have you arrested for that" he says just as annoyed.

I roll my eyes. "Somehow I doubt that."

He slams his hand on the table on stands to yell something at me when Peter thankfully walks in.

"Agent Fowler, what are you doing talking to my kid?" he asks crossing his arms. The fact that he just called me his kid doesn't go unnoticed by any of us.

"What so now you're adopting Caffery's kid too. Yeesh Burke for someone with a law abiding rep as yourself, I never thought you'd be the one to raise a juvenile delinquent," Fowler says flatly.

"Kids" Peter says annoyed, "And I don't care what you think Fowler, they're in my custody, so unless your accusing her of robbing a jewelry store too I suggest you leave."

Way to go Peter!

Fowler for his part looks irritated, but turns to leave anyways, "Fine. You want to protect a potential lead that's your business, but if Caffery walks it's on you."

With that the creepy agent exits the room leaving Peter standing there with his angry face, and me having a whole new respect for my foster father.

Not that we're ever going to tell him that.

"You okay Peter" I ask still sitting at the conference table.

He sighs and runs his hand over his face, "Yeah. What did want anyways?"

I shrug, "He was asking me about some alleged cons dad had pulled and if I knew where all the stuff he stole was."

"If he tries to talk to you again just ignore him" he says after a moment of contemplation.

He walks over towards the table and sits in the seat Fowler just vacated. "How's the homework coming?"

"A Tale of Two Cities isn't actually as bad as you'd think" I say smiling, making us both laugh.

"I'd rather be doing something else though. It's hard to focus on Charles Dickens in the first place, but then add in being worried about dad's hearing tomorrow and it's near impossible" I say.

Peter nods as we sit in silence for a minute, both contemplating the inevitability of tomorrow and the decision it will bring.

"Hey, what do you say I take off early and you and me go to the park and play some catch" he says suddenly sounding a lot happier.

Since I'm sick of all this homework and being stuck here at the FBI offices, Pete's grandparents are making him go out to dinner with some friends of theirs and Abbey and Luc were busy I got stuck here, I'm desperate to go do anything else. Plus playing catch with Peter might not be so bad.

"Let's go" I say starting to stuff my books back into my backpack.

Peter smiles, "Let's go."

…

"So this is nice huh?" Peter says twenty minutes later as we stand in the middle of Central Park throwing a baseball back and forth.

I laugh, "Let's not get to sentimental about this, it's just catch."

"Yeah but, we haven't really spent any time together since you got here" he says smiling.

"Well you are a fed who locked my father up in prison for four years, after you arrested him in front of me" I say throwing a fast ball at him.

"Wow, you've got a nice arm" Peter says throwing one back equally as hard.

"Same for you" I laugh as the ball hits my mitt.

"Hey, I'm sorry about the whole cuffing your dad in front of you thing" he says sincerely.

I smile at him as I loft the ball back, "It was four years ago, I forgive you."

"Really" he says stopping our game for a second.

I nod, "Look, initially I hated you. For years I hated you Peter, because I though you took my dad away from me, and I still don't really like that, but you were only doing your job."

"I was" he cuts in.

"I know" I say, "besides what you've done for all of us since then. You agreeing to work out a deal with dad, taking us in, finding Grayson, you're actually a good guy Peter."

He smiles and tosses the ball back.

"And just so you know, no matter what happens tomorrow, I promise I won't hate you again" I add.

There's some truth to that. No matter what happens with my dad's hearing tomorrow, I know that Peter will still try to help him and that he and Elizabeth won't give us up any time soon. Initially my goal was to get onto Peter's good side for the sake of the impending heist, but I'm starting to realize I actually like the guy. He really is a good guy, and he's great at things that dad's horrible at too. Like sports. Dad can play catch sure, but he doesn't understand the game all that well or why I like baseball so much. Peter gets it though.

"Thanks Callen" Peter says, "that actually means a lot."

Now I could say something sarcastic here, but instead I respond with "You're welcome, and this is kind of fun."

"Yeah" he says smiling.

I nod, "Remember how I said dad wasn't any good at sports?"

"Sure" he says nodding.

"Well it's nice playing with someone who can throw more than just straight."

He smiles that cheesy smile of his I'm actually starting to like, "Well than go long, how about hit some outfield flies."

"Awesome" I shout taking off down the field.

…

The next day at school is going by way to slow for my liking. It's the day of the trial and I'm beyond nervous. This is worse than when he went to prison the first time. At least then I knew he actually did it, but this he didn't do. He's impulsive not stupid. He wouldn't steal a diamond with Peter so close.

"Callen, earth to Callen. CALLEN" Abbey yells snapping her fingers in front of my face.

"Gosh Abbs you don't have to yell" I say moving her hand and feeling like this happened before.

She rolls her eyes, "I wouldn't have to yell if you stopped spacing out."

"Whatever" I say "What did you want in the first place?"

"I asked if you wanted to come over later to work on our science project" she says sarcastically.

"Abbey you need to seriously relax" Pete says sticking his two sense in.

She gives him a glare, "Well excuse me for being nervous about our little impending raid that we could all die for."

"Again with the dramatics" Pete says making a crazy sign in Luc's direction.

I shake my head, "Abbey it's not a raid, and you're not going to die. Besides you don't even have to do anything, just stay in….."

My sentence trails off as I stop walking. The Burke's house is surrounded by cop cars and surveillance vans.

I take off running towards the house sliding past the agents standing there while all of my friends come running after me. There's two guys blocking the entrance to the house, both big and currently in my way.

"Move" I shout at them. "Now."

"Sorry kids" the one says, this area is off limits.

"That's my house" I scream at him. "My mom and siblings are in there. What the heck is going on?"

I'm too hyped up right now to be in panic mode. What on earth could have possible gone wrong that the house is surrounded. I'm to worried about my new little family to realize that this might be about my dad.

"That's classified" the other guy replies.

I roll my eyes. I hate guys like this. Throwing a quick look to Pete who nods in return, we each kick one of the guards in the shin and use the opportunity to open the door and slam it quickly locking it on them once were all inside.

"MOM" I shout not bothering with the fact that she's not actually my mom since I'm too worried to care.

"What, what's wrong" Elizabeth says rounding the corner of the kitchen.

I sigh in relief and giver her a hug. "What's going on? Where's Peter?"

"At work. Callen sweetie calm down" she says looking at me and my friends. "Peter's fine, it's your dad."

"Wait what about him" I ask now more concerned than before. If the cavalry's here, it can't be good.

"Peter didn't tell you?" she asks. I shake my head. "He escaped."

"Wait Neal broke out of prison" Pete asks in disbelief.

"Your dad was back in prison" Abbey and Luc say at the same time. "Why didn't you say anything?"

I shrug knowing that that's the least of my concerns right now. "Where'd he go, why'd he, how?"

"A open window and a bakery awning" a new voice says quietly.

I spin on my heals to find my dad leaning up against the kitchen door frame. Without second thought I bolt over to him, wrapping him in a huge hug.

"What are you doing?" I whisper knowing that him being here is illegal and that there are cops outside.

Before he can say anything, Elizabeth cuts in, "Why don't we move into the kitchen and then he can explain himself."

Two hours later, the group has dwindled to just me, Elizabeth and dad. Abbey and Luc had to go home for dinner and Pete stuck around for a bit until his grandma called him because she had to go to Bingo and needed him home before that. The little kids I learned were with June and Mozzie so that there would be no issues with blabbering little mouths.

We had just finished eating when Peter came in through the front door and while Elizabeth went out to great him, me and dad hung back.

I'm staring at him when he turns his attention back to me. "What?"

I shrug, "I can't believe you jumped out of a window in the middle of broad daylight."

"You know I once climbed out the stop story of a palace using only a bed sheet" he says using his charm smile.

I laugh quietly, "You're one in a million."

"Neal" we hear Peter whisper shout.

I pat dad on the back, "Let's just hope you live long enough to stay that way."

With that I walk out of the room, "Hey Peter" I say as I pass the fuming FBI agent and quickly descend the steps to my room. I could eaves drop if I wanted to, but there's no point seeing as dad's already explained everything to me. Fowler was right, me and dad are super close and share nearly everything.

Not that I'd ever tell the snooty OPR douche that.

…

"So dad was framed" I say coming down the stairs latter that evening to find Peter sitting on the couch, beer in hand watching the TV on mute.

I flop down on the couch next to him and he looks at me blankly.

"I got coned" he says turning back to the TV.

I roll my eyes, "I'm sure you've been coned before. I know for a fact dad coned you at least once all those years ago."

He glances in my direction but doesn't say anything.

"What are you two going to do?" I ask.

He shrugs, "You said it yourself, We're going to catch him."

"Good" I say patting him on the shoulder, "Now turn up the volume, the Yankees are creaming the Mets."

I finally get him to smile as he turns up the volume.

I wake up the next morning in my own bed and realize that Peter must have carried me up here since I know I didn't get here by myself. And then it hits me. It's Friday. Heist day. Glancing around my room I realize how good it feels to be here.

My room is probably the closest thing to normalcy I have in my life at the moment. It's a bright blue and I have a bed, a desk, a dresser, a bean bag chair, and lots of pictures and a Beckham poster hanging on the walls. It's pretty cool actually, and a mess. Being a constantly moving teenager, my room has stuff strewn all over it. When I was little I never had that much and what I did have was always packed in case of a quick move, but now I can afford to be messy.

My room at dad's is still pretty clean though. Old habits I guess.

I quickly get dressed in my jeans and T-shirt and toss on my Converse before grabbing my soccer zip up and running down stairs. To my surprise, I find Pete sitting at the table talking to Elizabeth.

"Morning Caffery" he says giving me his best smile, "Happy Friday."

I give him a smile in return. "Morning Elizabeth, Pete."

"Hi sweetie" she says standing, "I'm gonna go grab you some juice."

"Thanks" I say as she exits the room and then turn to Pete, "What the heck are you doing here?"

He shrugs, "Big day today. Thought we could talk."

"There's nothing to talk about" I whisper, "It's all gonna go down just fine."

"What'll be fine" Elizabeth asks returning with a pop tart package, and some juice in a travel cup.

"Our history test" Pete says smoothly, "Mr. Raphael gives some pretty challenging tests."

"Yeah challenging for everyone but me" I say not being able to help the ego boosting.

Elizabeth smiles, "Well I'm sure you'll both do fine."

"We will" I tell her, and then we wish her our good byes and head out for school.

The day ticks by slowly as we wait for time to pass. I'm not at all nervous about the heist tonight, but I am nervous about dad and Peter. They've got today to clear dad's name otherwise it will be very difficult for me to do anything this evening with Fowlers men keeping tabs on all of us.

The text rolls in at 4:30 while I'm sitting in Baskin Robbins with Abbey, Luc, Peter, and Connor.

"Well" Connor says finishing off his sundae. "We good?"

I nod smiling, "It was Tulene. They got him on video."

"Excellent" Pete says smiling. "I knew Neal was innocent."

"So now can we go over this plan one more time" Abbey asks. She still hasn't stopped freaking out.

I nod. "Alright guys listen up closely. All four of you are going to be at Pete's. Abbey is you're dad okay with you coming home latter?"

"Yup, he's too busy to notice when I come and go" she says.

"Good and Luc your parents know your at Pete's right?"

"Yup" he says "And Connor's with us too right."

I nod and Pete rolls his eyes. He still doesn't like him. "I'll be at my dad's so as to avoid Mr. FBI, and then we all meet out front of the gallery at ten. From there you two" I say pointing at the rookies, "Stay close in case we need back up, but far enough away that in case it goes south your out Scott free."

I turn to Pete and Connor next. "You two ready for your parts."

"Call we were born ready" Connor smiles.

The three of us share a smile reserved only for the most devious of con men.

"Great than let's move."


	26. Chapter 26

**Alright so here's the next chapter...the heist. **

**Hopefully it lives up to what everyone was expecting since I've spent so long talking about it. It might not be though, I'm not sure. So please let me know. Feedback would be really apreciated.**

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><p>Chapter 26: It's In My Blood<p>

Backpack. Flashlight. Lock picks. Rope.

I'm sitting on the floor of my room at June's going through the list of things I need for the heist tonight. I'm actually nervous right now.

For the last two months, I've done nothing else but prepare for this night. All the effort to make sure it was perfect; getting the forgery, assembling the team, all of it. But now, I'm having second thoughts.

Why was I doing this again?

Oh yeah, Pete. My best friend asked for my help. And I said yes because he begged. I did try to talk him out of it. I tried too, really. Then how come I failed?

I shake my head; I can't be thinking this now. What's done is done.

I throw on my black T-shirt over my black jeans just as I hear the front door slam closed. Sliding into the hallway in my sock clad feet, I find Mozzie exactly where I last saw him, sitting on the couch.

"What was that?" I ask coming to a stop in front of the little bald man.

He looks up from what he was doing, most likely Kate related, "That's none of your business."

I roll my eyes. "Moz, he's my dad remember. Spill."

Mozzie sighs in the most drastic way, "Fine, he's going after Kate. He thinks that Fowler has her in a hotel somewhere so he's going to see if by chance she happens to be there."

"He's what" I shout. "Moz, he's impulsive. You know that. Telling him that was like letting a five year old loose in the city. He's gonna get himself killed or worse."

Mozzie doesn't look up from his work. "Look, I'm well aware of your father's uncontrollable impulses, especially when it comes to his beloved Kate. And I did try to stop him."

"Yeah not very well" I tell him rubbing my forehead. This is just what I need right now. I'm supposed to steal a Van Gough within the next two hours, and now my dad has gone out on a limb and is most likely to do something stupid.

"He's not doing anything worse than what your clearly about to do" Mozzie replies now looking at me.

I stop what I'm doing and look him square in the eye. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Mozzie chuckles slightly, "I've known you since you were six years old kid, I taught you at least half of what you know."

"Point" I say growing more worried by the minute. He knows something.

"Whatever it is you're up to, you better not let the suit catch you" he says returning to his work.

"I'm not up to anything Mr. I think I know everything" I say glaring at him.

He chuckles again. "Than why are you dressed in all black to blend in with the night?"

"I'm a New Yorker, we like black" I snap turning on my heals and forgetting about my father's impromptu fleeing.

I storm back into my room, tie my hair up in two braids, slip on my black converse, and grab my leather jacket sliding it on with my backpack over top and then walk right out of my room slamming the door and walking straight past Mozzie, abandoning my previous exit route of climbing out the window and going down the back stairs.

"Look out for passing suits" Mozzie says as I pass him.

I stop and look at him, "You're not going to stop me, if I hypothetically were about to do anything."

Moz shrugs, "You're following in the family business, I'd call this progress. You've been spending so much time with the suit; I feared you might become one."

I laugh off his comment as I head down the stairs and out the front door. But as I'm walking, I think about what Mozzie said about me becoming a suit. Would it really be so bad? Being honest all the time. It'd be less fun, that's for sure, but I'm not bored now. I mean in this new life. I have two new friends who until I went and corrupted them where honest people, I got to play soccer, go to school which isn't really all that bad, and I have parents.

Parents. Peter and Elizabeth will be so mad if I do this. If I get caught doing this. But they're not really my parents, they're just an FBI agent and his wife who took us in because they felt sorry for us kids.

A voice in the back of my head tells me that that's not true, that they really do care about us and dad.

Dad. He's my parent. He's also a criminal who's been arrested and spent four years of his life in prison and is to spend another four tethered to an anklet.

He wouldn't want me to turn out like him. Or would he. No, he wouldn't. I think.

But I'm a Caffery, were criminals. It's in our blood. It's what we do.

And I'm doing this for Pete. So it's okay, right?

I'm still internally debating with myself when I make it to our meeting place near the gallery entrance, but not close enough to be spotted.

"Why aren't you dressed for the gala?" Connor asks, sporting his suit.

I shrug. Honestly I kind of forgot about that part of the plan, being too consumed with Mozzie.

"You two just go in, and open up the back door to let me in or something" I say suddenly feeling less into this whole thing than I was before.

"That wasn't the plan" Pete says kind of irritated.

"But it still works, so go. Let's do this thing already" I respond waving them off.

The two boys turn to walk towards the entrance and Abbey faces me. "You okay Callen; you seem kind of tense all of a sudden."

I shake my head actually starting to feel kind of sick. I can't do this. I know I've been saying I can, and I could. Before them, before Peter and Elizabeth, before my dad working with the FBI, before Kate, I would have done it without thinking. But now.

I should have tried to convince Pete more that this was a bad idea from the start. But I didn't, and then I went and planned the whole thing. Now I kind of have to do this, for all of them. It's my fault they're in this mess to begin with; it's my job to get them out.

"I'm fine Abbs just, let's get this going" I say turning to Luc who promptly hands me an earpiece.

"Okay, see if you can hear everyone" he says.

"Con, Pete you hear me" I whisper.

"Roger that Ally Cat" I hear Pete reply.

"Copy that" Connor replies.

"Then let's go" I say trying to turn back into my cool and confident self.

Luc sits on the park bench that's by us and me and Abbey follow him. "Okay, so there's a side entrance in the alley on the east side" he says pulling up a map. "If the guys can get the door open over there, that should be an easy entrance way and it's near the painting."

"Great" I say patting Luc on the back, "Hear that guys, entrance on the east side, the one next to the hotel."

"Yup" I hear Pete respond. "You sure you're good Ally Cat, you seem stressed out."

"I'm fine Pete" I grit through my teeth, "just trying to focus here."

The three of us wait out the next hour until we get the sign from Pete and Connor that they're on route to the painting.

"This is it guys" I say smiling at Abbey and Luc, unfortunately it's not my normal con man smile and they can tell.

Abbey flashes me a concerned look, but I wave it off. "Well here goes nothing" I say standing and zipping my jacket, throwing my backpack on, "See you two on the other side."

I grab the replicated painting from Abbey and take off in the direction of the gallery, being sure to go trough the back and down various alleys to reach my destination.

The door that Luc had said would be there is just in my sight. This should be simple enough.

Slip through the door, pass the cameras that Luc should have disabled, then reach the painting, cut it from its frame, put Abbey's copy in its place, and then get out and contact Hale to fence it.

Easy right?

Oh well, here goes nothing.

There's a wire fence at the end of the alley to keep people out of the area. This is a pretty nice place with an expensive hotel next door, and they don't want street people loitering their alley ways.

The fence is pretty high, but for someone like me it's an easy climb. I toss the painting enclosed in its tube over the fence first and then begin to scale the thing myself. It doesn't take me all that long to reach the top with my dare I say excellent climbing skills. Getting up is the easy part though, it's getting down that generally chooses to be the more difficult for most people. It's too high to jump off of without breaking or spraining an ankle, that much I know, but that's only if you were to jump straight down from it.

Okay, you could still jump down from it if you had the right leg bend when you land but that kind of takes the fun part of it.

I of course choose to take the more dramatic approach and using my gymnastic skills I've cultivated over the years, do a back flip off the fence, landing smoothly on the ground below me.

It feels good to do that again. I haven't had a need for my talents in this sort of area since before dad broke out. I have been able to use them in soccer when it came to throwing in balls from the sidelines, and I was asked if I wanted to join the gymnastics team, but it just isn't as good.

That flip made me feel more at ease though. I stand back up right, grabbing the painting on the way and walk over to the door.

"You two here yet" I ask my co-conspirators through the com system.

"Yup" Pete says, "but the door won't open from the inside, the lock isn't a picking kind. Can you get it from the outside?"

I look at the key hole on the handle, "Yeah, I can pick that easily. Give me a sec."

I set down my backpack and pull out my lock pick set sizing up the tools with the lock before beginning the pick.

It takes me all of ten seconds before the lock clicks into place, and Pete pulls it open.

"Well, hello there Ally Cat" he says smiling. I smile back, my confidence much higher now that I've actually done something that's more like second nature to me.

"Here" I say tossing him the painting. He winks and hands it to Connor who's waiting just inside the door.

I turn to grab my back pack and hand that to him as well when I hear the worst possible thing I could ever hear in my entire life.

"Freeze FBI!"

I cringe at the voice and swiftly turn around, effectively kicking the door behind me closed and coming face to face with the one and only man who has ever caught a Caffery.

Peter Burke.

Busted.

...

I swallow hard, Mozzie's warning ringing in my ears. I'm so dead. I quickly try to come up with a lie to explain my actions, but I suddenly realize that I don't want to.

I'm actually kind of glad Peter's stopping me.

A conversation I had with him when I first came to live with the Burke's comes back to me now.

"_I really don't see what the big deal is; I mean you found me every time right." _

"_Only cause your letting me catch you." _

_I raise my eyebrows at him and let out a snort. He has got to be kidding; the last thing I would want is to get caught. _

"_First off, try not to flatter yourself too much. And second, you're a lunatic" I respond back coolly. _

"_Look at the facts, you're not very good." _

"_Really because last I checked, it was two years before you got ahold of me the first time" I tell him matter of factly. _

"_Look who's flattering themselves now" he says rolling his eyes and leaning back in his char. _

"_It's not flattery if it's a fact" I tell him shrugging my shoulders and letting myself fall back into the comfort of the chair. _

"_You still got caught" he mocks. _

"_Well fine. Say what you will, but I do not want to get caught just for some stupid reason I keep making rookie mistakes."_

He was right all along. I want to get caught. I want someone to tell me to stop. Somehow, I think that dad does too.

We Caffery's really are all alike.

"Put your hands up" Peter says getting closer.

I take a deep breath preparing myself for the yelling I'm about to get and decide to speak up before Peter and that gun he's drawn get any closer.

"Peter, it's me" I say as calmly as I can and hoping he understands. I can hear all four of my friends screaming in my ear, but all I can do is rip the earpiece out, praying that they're smart enough to get out of here before they go down too.

He lowers his gun as he steps into the light. "Callen?"

"Hey" I say, guilt written across my face. "Enjoying the night?"

He holsters his gun and takes a look at my appearance. "What are you doing?" he says clearly agitated. "It's almost 12:30 in the morning. You're supposed to be at your dad's, sleeping."

"But I'm here instead" I say trying to lighten the mood somehow. He's angry for a lot of reasons would be my guess.

"Callen" he warns.

Deciding it's better to tell him the truth than make him angrier, I launch into my story.

"I'm here because I snuck out of dad's and I was going to sneak into the gallery" I say waiting for him to start screaming.

Instead he asks a simple "Why?"

"Are you asking as the cop or my foster father because I want to tell my foster father everything without the fear of the FBI Agent being there" I tell him truthfully.

He clenches his teeth and I can practically see the fumes coming out of his ears.

"Callia Alexis Caffery, I want you to tell me the whole truth right now about why you're outside after your curfew and why you were planning on breaking into a building?" he says holding his breath.

Sighing defeated I tell him, if he arrests me for it I deserve it, "I was going to steal a painting."

He's definitely pissed now. He's screaming at me, his voice growing louder and louder with each sentence. I flinch at his words which I know are all deserved. It's not like he's scaring me or anything like that, it's the disappointment that's evident in his voice that makes me recoil.

Once he's calmed down a bit and finished his rant, he stops in front of me and stares me in the eye.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he huffs out.

I swallow again, and think of how to word my answer.

"I want the truth Callia" he says sternly.

I let the using my real name thing go considering the situation and decide to just get it over with.

"I did it because my best friend asked me too. Because he begged me to help him, his grandparents are both retired and running low on money with trying to set their grandson right, and he needed a way to help them. I couldn't say no to him considering all that's happened to him. Me and my dad are all he really has left. His brother's dead, his parents left him. I'm it Peter, he needed me."

"You could have asked me or Elizabeth, or even your dad rather than deciding to steal Callia that would have been safer and legal" he shouts.

"Dad would have done the same thing I'm trying to do. He feels guilty for Ben's death. He thinks that somehow it's his fault. And you and Elizabeth really wouldn't have been that much help. You would have tried, but it wouldn't have worked" I say back louder than my normal voice.

Peter runs his fingers through his hair and clenches his jaw. "There are still other ways. This is stupid and illegal and just all around a bad idea. You watched your father throw away eight years of his life doing the exact same thing. Do you really want to go down that same road? Are you trying to become him?"

"I am him" I shout as loud as I can. "Everybody I've ever met has said that I'm 100 percent my dad. They always say 'oh you're definitely Neal Caffery's daughter'. I look just like him Peter. Same hair, eyes, nose, smile. I talk like him, walk like him, act like him. I'm so much like him, my own mother didn't even want me because she probably couldn't see her in me at all. I'm a liar and a thief and a cheater just like him. I act just like him. Think just like him. It's who I am. It's in my blood. I was born to act this way."

By the end of my rant, I'm crying. I can't help it either.

"You said it yourself Peter, I'm my father's daughter" I whisper angrily.

I lean back against the wall and lean over suddenly feeling very sick. That's probably the most honest statement I've ever made.

I've always just assumed that since I'm Neal Caffery's daughter, I'm supposed to be a criminal. My dad is one. My grandfather, though I don't really know much else about him, I do know he was a dirty cop. See, it's in my bloodline. It's the name.

"You're not him" Peter says, his voice having dropped a few octaves. "Not that part of him anyways."

I look up at him completely confused.

"Breathe kiddo, come on take a deep breath" he says pushing me towards the ground where I pull my knees up to my chest.

When my breathing evens out a bit, I look up at him, "If I'm not my father's daughter Peter, than whose kid am I?"

Peter takes a deep breath himself before he sits down next to me.

"Callen, look you are your dad's daughter. You look like him, that's for sure. But that's not a bad thing at all" he says looking at me. "And who cares if your mom left you. Something tells me you were better off without her anyways."

I look up at him and roll my eyes without thinking.

He chuckles some which is a good sign I suppose. "You have all your dad's good qualities kiddo. You're both polite, and caring, and despite popular belief I think somewhere in your brains there is a conscious."

I laugh a bit, "Yeah and its name is Peter Burke."

"You're damn right it is" he says actually smiling, but then his face drops again, "I'm still beyond disappointed in you. You did it because you care about your friend, which since you're like your dad is understandable. It's just like how he does those little things he knows he shouldn't because he's trying to protect me."

"You pick up on that stuff?" I ask half kidding.

He nods, "I do."

We both stare at the ground for a bit. I'm still kind of confused though.

"Look Callen, you have a choice here. You're still just a kid. You can make a decision before you go and ruin your life. Your dad's still a kid too, but he's already made some irreversible life choices. He's got to build on them, you on the other hand can decide right now if you actually want to follow your dad's path or do something with your life that's worth something" he says.

That sounds like something dad would say. And Peter's kind of right, I am allowed to make my own life choices, in fact I'm sure dad would want me to make my own choices.

"If I don't follow in his footsteps, than whose should I follow in? I mean what do I do, my family is a bunch of criminals" I say.

That's definitely true; Dad, Mozzie, Kate, Alex, Ben, they're all criminals.

"All of them" Peter asks raising his eyebrows. "Cause I think there's a few people that aren't. Like maybe a nice couple from Brooklyn who agreed to take in a couple of little delinquents that need someone to set them on the right path."

I look up at him and for maybe the first time am honestly glad that Peter caught my dad.

"So are you saying I should become a fed?" I ask.

He chuckles, "I'm saying right now you should try being a teenage girl who goes to school and plays soccer and walks the dog or babysits when need be."

I give him smile, "I think I can do that."

"Good" he says nodding, "Think you can be grounded too."

I knew this wasn't going to be that easy. "Aw Peter" I whine not being able to help it.

"Now, now, don't play that card with me, reason or not, you attempted a robbery which is a crime punishable by prison."

"You're arresting me?" I ask in disbelief.

"No, of course not. Elizabeth would kill me. Besides, I think my form of punishment is more than sufficient" he says looking me in the eye.

I sigh in defeat, "Fine, let's here it. I deserve it."

He cuts to the chase, "Six months; no TV, no phone, no sleepovers, no computer. If you need it for school work you ask me or El. You can still play indoor soccer, but you go to school, to practice, come home do your homework and chores, and go to bed. You have extra chores too, I'll see what those are later. You can come to the office after practice and help me sort through some files too."

"Isn't that dad's job" I say whining some more.

"Now it's yours" he says, "And speaking of your dad, no staying nights at his place for a while. Okay."

"Not until you can trust me again" I ask.

He nods, "and tomorrow you're going to tell him what you were planning on doing."

"But" I begin, but he cuts me off.

"No buts, you tell him what you did because the only way this is going to work is if you understand that he doesn't want you follow down his career path. I may ground you, but he's your dad, you tell him."

"What about Elizabeth?" I ask giving up arguing about telling my dad, Mozzie will tell him anyways.

"You're grounded because I caught you sneaking out" he says, "She doesn't need to worry about you too."

"You're not going to tell her?" I ask confused, "But you two tell each other everything."

"We'll call this one a gray area between the two of us k" he says tiredly.

"Okay, and I'm really sorry Peter" I say for the first of many to come.

He sighs, "Good, then let's go home. I'm exhausted."

He stands and I do too. "What were you doing around here anyways?"

He shrugs, "Tell you later."

"Whatever" I say beginning to walk back towards the alley entrance, "Let my sentence begin."

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><p><strong>So there you have it. Sorry if it wasn't what you were expecting, but after thinking about it I realised I just couldn't let Callen go through with it. Hopefully the conflicting emotions felt realalistic and Peter's reaction too. Sorry if he's a little OOC. I tried thinking about how he reacts whenever Neal pulls something like this, plus I though a Peter Callen scene was a good fit there. They'll be some NealCallen moments in the next chapter since I feel like he's been pretty absent from the story lately. **

**Anywho, sorry for the long note. Please review and thanks for reading.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hello again, I know it's been a while since I updated, and I'm really sorry about that. I had a bit of writers block but I think I figured it all out. So here's the next chapter. The begining isn't really that great because I've discovered that it's practically impossible to write an angry Neal whose upset with his daughter. Yeah, so sorry if it's really OOC and unbelievable. Anyways, the rest of it I like though and I hope you do to. I think it opens up a great direction for the story, then again I don't know.**

**Please let me know what you think. Your guy's reviews help so much and I appreciate all the feedback. **

**Okay, enoguh** **rambling, I'll let you read now. **

**Callen and her friends belong to me, that's all. **

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><p>Chapter 27: Revelations<p>

If I had thought Peter was angry when he found out what I did, then dad was furious times a thousand.

Last night Peter took me back to his house where he emptied my room of all things fun before sending me off to bed and then this morning after I told Elizabeth I was grounded and got a lecture from her, Peter drove me over to dad's where I was forced to tell him of my doings last night.

He's been yelling for almost forty minutes now, and it's kind of starting to scare me. I think Peter might be a little freaked too because he's wincing at dad's tone. Which if you think about it is kind of funny considering he did the same thing last night.

"I just don't understand how you could be so immature and stupid and irresponsible. It was stupid Callia, stupid, stupid, just absolutely the dumbest thing you could have ever done" dad shouts pacing back and forth.

I don't have anything to say to that other than to ask him to stop yelling, but I'm so close to crying I'm afraid to speak up. I know that what I did was stupid, but to have your dad who has never been upset with you your entire life call you stupid, it makes you want to cry.

Peter seems to notice and I think he actually feels bad. "Neal" he says standing up and grabbing dad by the arms, "Stop."

Dad looks at Peter in shock for a minute and then glances towards me and slumps down in a chair.

Peter sighs and runs his hands through his hair. "Okay," he begins taking a deep breath, "Now Neal, I know you're upset with her, I am too, but screaming at her is not going to help."

"I know" dad says resting his elbows on his knees and burying his face in his hands. "I'm a horrible father."

I snap my head up and flash Peter a confused look. Two seconds ago he's practically yelling at me for being a horrible kid and now he's saying he's a horrible dad?

"Dad, what are you talking about? You're an awesome dad. I just screwed up" I tell him hoping that's the right thing to say.

Dad sighs and looks up at me, "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even know how to do half the stuff you do. You wouldn't know how to pick a lock or execute a con. For crying out loud, I practically painted the picture for you."

Okay, he's got a point.

"Neal, you're missing the big picture here" Peter cuts in, "Yeah she attempted to steal a painting and yes it was stupid and I'm beyond mad at her for breaking the law."

"Angry" me and dad correct at the same time.

Peter rolls his eyes, "But Callen only did it to help a friend. She knew Pete was going to do it anyways and she was helping him rather than letting him do it alone and get hurt."

Wow, Peter actually does listen when I talk. Wait, did he just say he understands me?

"You would have done it for Mozzie or Kate, you're still doing it for Kate" Peter adds.

Dad sighs and rubs his face. "You're right Peter." He turns and looks up at me, "Callen, I'm sorry for screaming at you. I just, I'm upset that you wouldn't come and tell me. I could have helped Pete or at least talked him out of whatever he was going to do. I don't want either of you doing anything that me and Ben used to do. And I'm just as upset with Pete for not coming to me in the first place. He knows you have a weak spot for scheming."

"I was always the brains of our operations when we were kids" I add.

Dad laughs, "You're still kids. You're my kid, and I don't want to see you getting hurt or doing anything illegal ever. Do you understand that?"

I nod.

"And if you have a problem you come tell me, I'm never to busy for you okay?" he asks.

"Yes" I assure him.

I won't though. I know we've talked about it, but I still get the idea that dad's going to find Kate and then run off with her leaving us in the dust. I won't ever admit it out loud to any of them, but I need to make sure that if dad does leave, that I can still take care of the four of us kids. I need to know I can still be that kid I've always been, and that I haven't completely changed into the average teenager.

"Good" he says smiling, it's not his usual smile, but it's better than nothing.

I give him a hug, because although I may not trust his intentions completely, he's still my dad and I love him.

"So now's the part where I ground or something right?" he asks a little unsure.

I laugh at his hesitant question. He's never grounded me before and I've never been grounded.

"Already done" Peter cuts in, "No electronics for six months, no friends, extra chores and she's going to be helping with the paper filing at the Bureau."

Dad lets out a whistle, "Wow, I think I had it easier in prison."

"Well that could be arranged if you'd prefer" Peter says and I'm pretty sure he's only half joking.

"Nope, we're good" I say before either one of them can say anything else that would make the Burke Supermax any worse.

…

"Oh thank goodness you're alive" Abbey shouts attacking with a hug as soon as I see her Monday morning.

"Uh yeah Abbs I' fine" I say attempting to loosen her grip.

She lets go smiles at me relieved. "We thought for sure you were arrested or even dead."

"No one thought you were dead" Luc says rolling his eyes at Abbey's dramatics.

"Thanks guys" I say half heartedly, "You guys okay?"

"We're fine" Luc says, "Pete's not though."

"He's really upset" Abbey adds.

Figures. He would be angry for not being able to pull off the con, he's probably mad at me for messing it up.

I sigh, "Yeah well I don't blame him for being upset with me. I deserve it."

Abbey looks at me confused. "He's not angry with you; he was worried about you all weekend. After you pulled your earpiece out, he and Connor came running back to our meeting spot and he was freaking out that something happened to you and then that you took all the blame for it and got arrested or something."

"Wait, he's not mad at me?" I ask relieved, I have to say, of all the things that happened over the weekend; Pete hating me was really the only thing I cared about.

"Nope" Luc says, "Come on, he's in the cafeteria."

I follow my two new friends into our horrible excuse for a lunchroom and spot Pete sitting at our usual table attempting to do homework of some sort.

"Hey Somerfield" I say coming up behind him.

His head snaps up and before I know it, he's enveloped me in a bone crushing hug, much tighter than Abbey's, only this time I'm not trying to move. He's got his face buried in my shoulder and is squeezing me so tight I can't breathe.

"Pete" I cough, "you're squashing me."

"Oh sorry" he says letting go, but not backing away.

"It's okay" I tell him, "I'm glad to see you too by the way."

He smiles a bit and takes a step back. "Where on earth have you been Ally Cat? We heard screaming and then you just disappeared."

"I'm fine" I reassure him, "It was just Peter."

"Peter, as in FBI Agent, foster father, Caffery catcher Peter Burke" he says.

I roll my eyes, "Yeah that one."

"And he didn't kill you" Abbey asks from next to me.

I jump at the sound of her voice, having forgotten that her and Luc were still there.

"No Abbs, he didn't kill me or arrest me" I say, "But I did get grounded from basically everything for six months."

"Wow that sucks" Luc says looking at his feet. None of them got caught, none of them are in trouble, but they all helped and I can tell they feel guilty.

"Don't worry about it guys, it was mine and Pete's fault. We dragged you into this mess" I assure them.

"Yeah but I'm not in trouble" Pete says mournfully, "It was my fault and mine only."

"No it wasn't" I tell him, "I chose to participate, I made the plan, I'm going to suffer the consequences."

"But I dragged you into it. I knew you couldn't resist a good heist like that. It was a challenge, and you never back down. I knew you would do it" Pete says.

I shake my head, "Pete, don't beat yourself up about it. I had ulterior motives for doing it too, so just let it go. I'm actually glad it happened and that Peter caught me."

"What? Why?" Luc asks appalled.

"Because, now I realize that I wasn't meant for the family business. My heart just wasn't in it like I thought it would have been. I've got a new family now, and maybe it's time to find a different family business" I say a little more confident than I was yesterday. Peter's right. I can't believe I just thought that, I can be whoever I want.

"Please tell me you're not going Fed on me" Pete says pleadingly.

I shrug, "Why not? Solving crimes might just be as fun as committing them."

Pete makes a disgusted face and I laugh at him, "Relax Petey, I promise not to arrest you every time."

He punches me in the arm making us both laugh. "You could always be my sidekick" I add grinning.

He shutters, "No thanks, I'm good really."

"Oh, but that would be so much fun" Abbey says excitedly, "We could all solve crimes together; Callen could be the leader, Pete could be our tough guy, Luc can be the computer tech, and I could be our art expert. We'd make a great White Collar unit."

Luc and Pete both turn to look at her like she's crazy. I smile though because aside from the fact that Abbey's being all bubbly, she's actually got a point. I've looked over some of Peter's case files when he wasn't looking, and they are interesting and some are even intriguing (you know, the non mortgage fraud ones). Plus if you know how to commit a crime, than isn't solving it just working backwards?

Looking at all my friends and al the talent that we've got here, I bet we could be the best solvers the FBI's ever had. I can't believe I've only looked at my talents like they only have one purpose. Something Peter said to me when I first met him comes back to me now. "You're dad has so much potential, it's a shame he only thinks he's good for things outside the law. He could really go far."

Suddenly, I get it. I don't have to be my dad to be my dad. I am my father's daughter. I have all the potential he has, but I haven't screwed up my life yet. Not that I'm saying dad's a screw up, because he's not. But I can do this right, break the Caffery curse. Grandpa was a dirty cop, dad was a criminal, but I can right their wrongs. I can be like them without being them. Peter was right. I can't believe he was right. He's been trying to tell me that all along.

"Uh Cal, you okay in there?" Pete's voice says breaking my thoughts.

I stare at him and smile real big, "Pete, Abbey's right?"

"I am" Abbey asks confused and hopeful.

"Yes" I shout wrapping her in a hug, "you're a genius."

Pete and Luc are looking at me like I've lost my mind, which I may have.

"Guys, Abbey's right. We all have incredible talents, but why do we have to use them for illegal activities" I say.

"Uh, because we were raised that way" Pete says stating the obvious.

I shake my head. "Ben and my dad never wanted us to be like them. They were just trying to take care of us. They never wanted us to have to do what they did. What started out for them as a way to survive, became a way of life. And it ruined them. Ben's gone, and my dad's addicted to cons. He gets high off running them Pete. But we don't have to do that. You and me Pete, we can do the opposite. We can stop crimes; we'd be amazing at it. All of us."

"You've soaked up to much Fed air" Pete says.

I roll my eyes, "Luc, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I don't know an engineer or something I guess. My dad says it's the only thing I 'm good at" he says kicking his foot.

Now I get why he was so eager to join me and Pete, he just wanted to prove he could do something else. We were all trying to prove something by pulling this heist, well except maybe Connor, but I'll have to figure out how to help him later.

"Lucas, you're great at a lot of things. Don't sell yourself short" I tell him, "You're smarter than half those crack team FBI tech guys. You would own at solving cyber crimes" I tell him, getting even more excited by my idea.

He smiles back, "Thanks Callen."

I nod, "What about you Abbey?"

"I want to be an artist" she says, "but my mom says I'll go broke and starve and that I need a real job, like a lawyer."

Abbey hates office, she's more of a free spirit, and the thought of her stuck behind a desk all day makes me sad.

"Well you're right. You'd be a perfect art expert at the Bureau. And they could use some too. Up until my dad started there, they were seriously lacking in a good forgery detector. You'd be perfect for it, and you could even paint on the side" I add.

"That would be so cool" she says happily.

I smile, "And Pete what were you going to do. Become a career criminal?"

"That's kind of the family business Cal" he repeats.

I roll my eyes again, "No it's not. The family business is convincing ourselves that there's a family business. That we're our father's kids or the little brothers that are supposed to follow in the footsteps. That's not the business. That's being confused. We do stuff to help people Pete. We could do that. Think about it. You and me, working together forever doing exactly what we love. Thinking like criminals, solving crimes and orchestrating heists. Only we can do it within the law. Don't you think that would make my dad and Ben prouder than if we became them and ended up where they are?"

Pete stares at me for a few minutes. He's debating in his head like he always does when I pose what he call's the 'big questions'. I'm just hoping he understands what I mean, because right now I am very into this idea, and I'm not sure if I could go through with it knowing my best friend doesn't approve.

Pete's opinion means the world to me and I would do anything for him. I can see us being friends forever or, hopefully even more than friends someday. You know how awesome that would be, us working together and more. I can picture it, twenty years down the line, the four of us working together as our own White Collar Division team with an amazing record, me and Pete married maybe with our own kids. That picture looks way better than the one I had before; me or him dead or in prison.

I might be getting a little ahead of myself with the whole marriage thing at the moment considering we haven't even had a date yet and I don't even know if he likes me like that. But hey, a girl can dream. And yes despite being rebellious at times, I am a girl and I do have dreams about a future with the house and the white picket fence and the dog with the 2.5 kids. Dad had that dream with Kate I know, and he may have me, Braden and the twins, but it's not the same. He's lost without Kate, and I'd be lost without Pete. It just makes sense in my head is all I'm saying.

"It would be kind of cool to get to carry around a badge and arrest people" Pete says cracking a smile.

I practically jump on him, "Really Pete? You'd give up a life of crime and become a Fed."

"Well I'm not so sure about it still, but I was really worried about you all weekend and I don't know that I could go through not knowing what happened to you again" he begins, "So if it's what you think we should do Ally Cat, then I trust you. Plus I think we all work real nice together any ways."

"Thanks Pete" I say kissing him on the cheek quickly because I can't help it.

He smiles, "No Probs. You two in too then?"

"Definitely" Luc says.

"It was my idea first" Abbey adds rolling her eyes, but I can tell she's smiling.

Pete laughs, "So one week we've decided we're going to be the best con team in the world, and now we're going to be the best FBI team in the world. That's a big 180 degree turn to make in what, five minutes."

"Maybe" I say smiling, "But it's definitely the right one."

…

Getting off the elevator and running through the bullpen, up the stairs, I fling open the door to Peter's office as him and dad turn in their chairs to face me, both looking shocked and slightly amused.

"Whoa kiddo, what's with the rush? Eager to sort some case files?" Peter mocks.

Normally I'd roll my eyes at him, but I've been bursting with excitement since this morning and couldn't concentrate at all during the day so I ignore his comment and blurt out my great news.

"I want to be an FBI agent"

Dad looks surprised, and Peter's eyes go bug-eyed.

"Sorry, say that again. I think my ears need to be checked" Peter says pretending to clean out his ear.

This time I do roll my eyes and sit in the seat next to dad. "I said" I stretch out, "I want to join the FBI."

I say it real slowly word for word so that he hears me.

"What made you decide that" Peter asks, dad's still staring.

I shrug. "You I guess."

"Me?" he asks incredulously.

"Yeah dummy, you" I say, "When we talked Friday, you said I could be anything I wanted to. That I had talents and if applied correctly I could really make something of my self. And well, I thought about it, and I want to be a White Collar FBI Agent. This way I could still use my criminal expertise, only I'd be locking up criminals instead of being one."

"You decided this in the course of a day" Peter asks amused.

"Actually five minutes, but I though about it all day" I say again ignoring his attitude.

He leans back in his chair and smiles, "Well I'm really proud of you kiddo. FBI, how about that Neal?"

I look over at dad who still looks like a deer caught in headlights. "Dad?"

He shakes his head to clear his thoughts, "My baby girl wants to be an FBI Agent. Wow Callen, I'm not really sure what to say."

"Are you happy?" I ask now worried, I had thought it was what he'd want, but maybe I was wrong.

His face breaks into an ear to ear perfect Caffery grin, and I breathe a sigh of relief. "Of course I'm happy. I mean you found a career that you'll be great at and that won't land you in prison. What more could I ask for? Mozzie won't be pleased though."

I laugh. No, Mozzie will think I've been replaced with aliens or have been brainwashed by the government. And he'll most definitely blame the Suits, mostly Peter.

"What did Pete say when you told him?" dad asks knowing Pete's always been more stubborn when it comes to things like this.

"Oh, he's joining too. And so are Luc and Abbey. We figured if we were smart enough together to pull what we were going to, then we could have a great solve record working for the other side."

"So what you're saying is I should be expecting a new art consultant, tech engineer and two new field agents being added to my team in the future" Peter says chuckling.

"Your team?" I ask propping my feet up on his desk which I know bugs him, "Nah, this will all be my team by then. You'll be working for me."

Dad laughs and shakes his head. Peter just rolls his eyes. "Yeah well for now you work for me and I say those files need to be organized alphabetically and by case number so hop to it" Peter says pointing to a desk in the corner.

"Aye Aye Sir" I salute moving towards the table.

Peter rolls his eyes again and looks at dad who throws his hands up, "Hey don't look at me. It was your idea."

I smile to myself; this is going to be fun.


	28. Chapter 28

**Hey guys! New chapter yay! OK, so I don't really have anything else to say about this onne other than please keep reviewing. I love all of your input. **

**Only Callen and friends are mine. **

* * *

><p>Chapter 28: Can You Tell Who's Lying?<p>

Is it possible for someone to die of boredom?

Because if it is, I think Peter's going to have to call the morgue pretty soon.

It's been two weeks since our wonderfully failed heist that of course lead to my even more wonderful revelation, but despite my best efforts to keep myself entertained I'm bored. I'm actually beginning to contemplate how I survived before I came to live with the Burke's, because so far two weeks with no phone, computer, video games, TV, and friends is torture. Not to mention I've also been grounded from hanging out with my dad at his place, which in a way feels like dad is also being punished, so I'm not really sure who exactly Peter's grounding at this point.

Anyways, initially it wasn't so bad. I spent a lot of time doing puzzles with Gabby and Grayson or playing board games I hadn't played since I was five, but one can only play Scrabble Jr. so many times. Braden has actually been taking advantage of my punishment because now he can use the X-box all he wants, and is rubbing it in my face. We're not talking at the moment.

Elizabeth gave me a list of chores to do, but none of it really took that long to finish and eventually she ran out of stuff to do. Actually the only fun thing I've done so far is start a prank war with Jones when I was supposed to be organizing files. Peter won't even let me help with the cases, and I'd be really good at it. Oh well. The worst part though is that winter break started yesterday, which means my indoor soccer league, the only fun thing in my life, is on hiatus for two weeks. I even miss going to school.

I think I might try to rip my eyes out.

"Callen, why don't you read a book or something?" Elizabeth asks from her place across the table. I've been beating my head against said table for the last two minutes.

"I already read all of the good ones" I moan not lifting my head.

She sighs, "I'm sure there's one book you haven't yet read."

I sit up and shake my head, "Nope, read 'em all."

"Well why don't you go outside then?" she suggests.

It's like 30 degrees outside that's why. I took the twins to the park yesterday and it was freezing. It'd be one thing if there was snow on the ground to build a fort with or bombard Brady with snowballs, but it hasn't snowed all month and it's almost Christmas.

"Braden's at his friends house, and the twins are too little to play basketball with" I say returning y head to the table.

She sighs again and I feel kind of bad for making her listen to me complain, but I'm so bored and she's out of suggestions. I already helped her decorate the house and we went last night to go get a tree so that's already decorated too.

I'm actually really excited for Christmas. When I was little Christmas Eve meant me and dad going out to get cheeseburgers and milkshakes, and then coming back home to watch The Santa Clause and drink hot chocolate, and then we'd finish the night with him reading me The Night Before Christmas. When I'd wake up in the morning, he would make chocolate chip pancakes in Christmas shapes and would let me put lots of whipped cream on them, and then we would open presents and spend the rest of the day playing with whatever he got me. It wasn't ever a lot, but I loved it anyways.

One year he got me roller blades because I always wanted them, and then we went out into the hallway of the apartment to use them and I couldn't stop so I rolled down the small flight of stairs at the end of the hallway. That year also included an emergency room visit and I got a pink cast on my arm for Christmas.

This year is the first in four years that dad will be out for the holiday, and it's also the first one Gabby and Grayson will ever have and probably the first Brady will completely remember. I know Peter and Elizabeth want to make it super special this year for all of us, dad included, and have been making the little kids write wish lists and letters to Santa. The three of them seem to really be enjoying it, which I'm happy about, but part of me still wants to have my old tradition with dad. Either way, I know it will be a great day. Plus Peter said I'm ungrounded Christmas Eve and Day that way I can watch all the movies and get to play with whatever I get from them, as long as I still pretend that it came from Santa.

"I'm sorry sweetie" Elizabeth says looking at the work in front of her.

I shrug, "It's okay, it's my fault I'm grounded."

She goes to say something else, but is interrupted by the opening and closing of the front door. Both our heads snap up to see my dad walk in completely frazzled. His suit jacket is unbuttoned as is the top two buttons of his shirt collar, his tie his hanging loosely around his neck, and his hair is messy like he ran his fingers through it one too many times with some strands matted to his forehead.

If I didn't know better, I'd think he was just mugged.

"Neal? Sweetie, are you okay?" Elizabeth asks worriedly, jumping into action. She stands up and walks towards him while at the same time eyeing him for injuries of any kind.

Dad nods slowly trying to act like he is the same he always is, but he's failing and we can both tell.

"I'm fine El" he says smiling as best he can, "Just wanted to see if you'd let me borrow Callen for a bit."

"Heck Yes" I say shoving my chair back and hoping up, "Please. I'm begging."

Dad laughs a bit, "That bad?"

"You have no idea" I say rolling my eyes.

Elizabeth smiles, "Well I don't see why not, you are still her father and Peter only said no spending the night at your house. Besides, I think she could use the air."

I nod vigorously, not caring if I look like I'm five, making dad and Elizabeth both laugh.

"Great thanks, I'll have her back by dinner. Go grab your coat megabyte" dad says.

You don't have to tell me twice. I dash up the stairs and into my room to grab my jacket and am standing back by dad in less than a minute.

We say our good-bye's to Elizabeth and with that me and dad start walking. He's quiet for the moment so I just follow him, pulling my coat closer because it's really windy. That's when I notice that dad doesn't have his on. Something must have frazzled him really good if didn't even get dressed properly.

"Where's your coat? It's like freezing out here."

He just stares ahead for a minute before shaking his head and looking down at me. "What? Oh, I guess I just forgot to grab it."

Forgot? "Dad you never forget anything. What's going on? You're starting to scare me."

Dad swallows and wraps his arm around my shoulder, so I lean into him still worried. Normally he would laugh off a comment like that.

A few more minutes pass with him not saying anything, and now we're at the park near the Burke's house that I always take Gabby and Grayson to play at. We walk over to the swings and so I sit down as he sits in the swing next to me.

"Dad?" I try again.

He kicks his feet back and forth, beginning to move in a back and forth motion. I'm really annoyed at this point. Why won't he just say it already? I know he's not good at expressing himself, but I'm starting to get scarred that either something happened or he finally cracked. And I don't know what I'm supposed to do if he breaks down.

"Dad would you…." I start, but I get cut off by my dad's voice.

"Peter has Kate."

I grab hold of his swing and yank it to a stop. "What?"

He swallows again, "Peter, he has Kate. I know he does."

"What on earth would make you think that?" I ask confused, "Peter cares about us. He's a good guy Dad."

Dad shakes his head, "No, he has the ring."

"The ring from the picture?" I ask remembering the hand that was resting on Kate's shoulder in the photo dad has.

He nods looking back at his feet. Gosh, he looks like such a little boy completely lost in the world. Right now he's got a look on his face that is the exact same one Grayson has when he gets scared of something.

"Dad, Peter can't have Kate. He wouldn't do that to you. You know Peter has a soft spot for you" I try to sort out. I'm not really sure if I'm reassuring myself or him, but Peter can't be the bad guy. "Peter cares about us. He took me, Braden and the twins in. He lets us stay with you and you get to see us whenever you want. He, he agreed to your deal. He did what he could to keep you from going back. Peter's one of the good guys dad. He has to be."

Dad doesn't move other than the toes of his shoes dragging across the grass. I let go of his swing and stare off in to the open space ahead of us. Peter's good. I just started to like the guy too. I mean he definitely cares about us; otherwise he would have definitely arrested me when I told him our plans. Dad probably would have been back in prison a long time ago too.

"How do you know Peter has the ring? I've never seen him wear it" I ask still refusing to believe that Peter could be the bad guy.

"I saw it in a picture hanging on the wall by the stairs" he says looking back at his feet.

I think for a minute when suddenly it hits me, "That's why you insisted on bringing everyone over to the house last night to work the case. You suspected Peter and wanted to see if you could find it."

"And I found it" Dad cuts in.

I sigh not sure how to respond. There has to be some sort of explanation for the ring right?

"Well, I'm not sure what else to say dad. But you need to talk to Peter before you go around accusing him of stuff" I say standing up frustrated with the situation.

He nods and gets up to follow. We walk in silence back to the house and I ask dad if he wants to come in, but he says he's meeting Mozzie so he better go. I let him, knowing that I can't force him to talk to Peter now, but that doesn't mean that I can't confront the FBI Agent.

I fling open the front door to find a completely normal looking suburban family scene before me. Braden seems to have talked Peter into attempting to play Mario Kart, and Elizabeth is setting the table with help from the twins.

"Hey look who finally decided to come home" Peter says looking up from the couch.

I roll my eyes. "Yeah well I had some important family business to attend to" I snap back. I'm irritated by the situation and really just want to find out the truth so we can all get back to normal. Or well as normal as a blended family that's not really a family which consists of a married couple, a convicted felon, a missing girlfriend, a paranoid conspirist, and four kids who only share only half their genes can be.

Peter shoots me a funny look, "What's up?"

"Can we talk for a minute?" I ask deciding to get this over with already.

Peter nods and sets his controller down to follow me upstairs to my room. I flop onto my desk chair and try to straighten out my thoughts. Peter takes a seat on my bed and waits.

How am I supposed to tell him that my dad suspects him of kidnapping? How do you even start that conversation?

"Callen, you okay there?" Peter asks laughing half heartedly.

I nod and try to clear my thoughts. Taking a deep breath I decide it's now or never.

"Peter where's Kate?" I ask jumping right to the problem.

He looks at me confused, "What do you mean kiddo? I don't know where she is, you know that."

"I know" I mumble, "But dad doesn't."

"What?" he asks scooting closer to the edge of the bed by my desk.

"Dad's convince you have Kate. You have the ring" I say, not accusingly, just questioning, "Tell me I'm wrong Peter, please tell me I'm wrong."

Peter sighs, most likely processing what I'm asking him. He holds up a finger for me to wait a second and then walks out of the room.

Great, I'm the one who was wrong. Dad was right. Peter's probably going to call someone. For what, I don't know. But it's over, I figured him out.

As I'm silently determining that the Agent I began to actually trust, something I never do, was actually only using us to get to dad, Peter comes back in the room and places something in my hand. He sits back on the bed and without looking at the object; I can tell it's a ring. I close my eyes and slip the cold metal onto my finger. Yup, it's a ring.

I sigh and open my eyes to look at the ring. Examining it more closely, I realize that it's a commemoration ring.

Looking up to Peter for answers, he smiles.

"It's a ten year FBI pin that got made into a ring"

"What does that mean?" I ask still unsure of what he's getting at.

He grabs the back of my rolling chair pulling it closer. "A lot of guys at the bureau have them."

"So it's not your ring in the picture" I ask checking clarification.

He shakes his head, "Nope, but I'm glad you asked kiddo. Although I'm guessing it was your dad who made you worry."

I swallow, "He saw it on your finger in a picture the other night and was convinced you were hiding Kate from him."

"So that's why he insisted on dragging the entire bureau over here last night" he chuckles.

"Yeah" I say, "but you don't so it's all good. You should tell him that you don't though."

Peter looks at his feet guiltily and I panic. "Peter you don't have her right?"

He sighs, "No, I don't have her….."

"But…" I say motioning for him to continue.

"Callen, do you remember when I caught you breaking into the gallery" he begins.

I roll my eyes, "Uh, yeah I kinda got put on house arrest. How could I forget?"

Now he rolls his eyes, "Well, do you remember how you were wondering why I was in that alley."

I nod, he never did explain that to me and I just kind of forgot to ask again.

"I was talking to Kate" he says slowly.

I jump out of my chair, "You were what. You know where she is. Peter he's been freaking out for four months. How could you not tell him?"

Peter sighs and tells me to sit back down. I refuse instead crossing my arms and tapping my foot waiting for his explanation.

"Look. I don't have Kate. I talked to her for maybe ten five minutes. She wants something of your dads" he says.

"I know that" I say without thinking. Peter shoots me a funny look but I ignore it. "What does she want?"

"A music box" he says his voice giving away the fact that he wants to know if I know what it is.

I do know what it is. That music box has caused more problems for my family than anything else he's ever done. It's the reason we met Alex. It's why I have two brothers and a sister instead of just a brother. It's why Kate and my dad broke up the first time. It's why he went to Europe and she left. Why dad started pulling bigger cons. Why the FBI found it easier to find him. It's essentially the reason why my dad spent four years of his life in a prison cell. That music box has brought nothing but trouble to this family.

And the worst part is after all that, dad doesn't have it.

"I know it" I say not bothering to ask what kind it could be, because there's only the one that could cause all this.

Peter looks slightly surprised but not really, "Do you know why she would want it? Is it worth a lot, like ransom money or something?"

"You should ask dad that." I tell him, not wanting to say something I shouldn't. "I know what you're talking about, but you really need to ask him about it. And tell him about Kate."

"I know" Peter sighs.

"But you don't think Kate loves him do you" I say knowingly because I've been having the same debate for the past four years, maybe even earlier.

Peter nods. "She didn't ask about him or you guys. Not even Braden. She just seemed to want whatever this music box is."

I fall backwards onto my bed and rub my hands over my face. This is so complicated. Dad's completely in love with this girl, but she's not really giving off the vibe that she loves him back.

Turning my head to face Peter who's looking down at me, I sigh. "You still have to tell him. And tell him she didn't ask about him or us. Maybe the more you keep saying it, one of these times he'll actually listen."

Peter rolls his eyes, "Yeah like that'll ever happen."

I laugh because he's definitely right, and he falls back next to me laughing too. I'm not sure how long were just sitting their laughing our heads off, and just when we stop one of us will look at the other one and we start laughing again.

I'm not even sure what's so funny, but neither of us seems to be able to stop.

"Why you guys laughing?" Gabby says above our laughter making us both stop and look over at the door where both her and Grayson are standing.

I look at Peter and an idea pops into my head. "Were laughing because I just discovered that Peter here is very ticklish."

Both sets of eyes get real big. "Really" Grayson asks excitedly.

I nod, "You guys should come see."

They run over and climb up where Peter immediately grabs the two of them and starts tickling. I grab Grayson from him and before you know it, both four year olds are giggling excessively.

"You lied" Gabby shouts between giggles.

"Meanie" Grayson adds.

Me and Peter just shrug and continue making the two little ones laugh.

"Dinner's ready" we hear Elizabeth yell up the stairs making us stop and catch our breath.

Peter rolls off the bed and stands up, "All right guys, who's hungry. I know I am."

Two little hands shoot up in the air and Peter chuckles and grabs them both around the waist throwing one over each shoulder.

He really is a great dad. Initially he was really awkward around the two of them and really Braden too, not to mention me and him spent more time arguing and picking on each other than getting along. Now though, he's a lot better. He actually listens to twins excessively boring stories about pre-school, plays catch with Braden, never missed a sports game for either of us unless it was really important to a case, and I'm starting to enjoy talking to him even if it's about something random. Granted we generally only talk about dad and I still don't trust him completely, but we're getting there.

"Call kiddo you coming?" Peter asks glancing at me, both four year olds still giggling excessively.

I hop off the bed and look towards him and my siblings, and smile a real smile, "Absolutely."


	29. Chapter 29

**Hello again! Sorry once again for the wait. This one's kinda long though. **

**So this chapter happens to be a Christmas themed one. Sorry about that in advanced, I know it's not really the season but I hope you enjoy it all the same. It's really just kind of a fluffy chapter I guess, but it felt right. Anywho, hope you like it and as always your feedback is amazing and well apreciated. You guys really are the best. **

**Only Callen and her siblings are mine. **

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><p>Chapter 29: Is there such a thing as too many presents?<p>

"Callen! Callen! Get up! Get up! It's Christmas Eve!"

Man do I wish four year olds came with snooze buttons. I groggily open my eyes to find two incredible hyper toddlers, and flashing red digits that let me know it's only seven fifteen. And here I thought being on Christmas break meant I got to sleep in.

Gabby and Grayson are still tugging on me and talking way too fast for my groggy brain to comprehend any of it.

"Guys, slow down would you. One at a time" I say stretching and attempting to get up. There's no use going back to sleep now.

"It's snowing! You have to get up!" Gabby shouts.

Snow? It was super sunny and almost 45 yesterday. I stand up and turn to look out my window where sure enough there's a white sheet covering the front yard, and more coming down on top of that. New York weather is messed up.

"Come on" Grayson says tugging on my arm, "Peter says we can't go outside till everyone's up.

I roll my eyes, but grab my sweatshirt and pull on some sweats over my basketball shorts as best as one can do while being dragged and pushed down a hallway.

When we get to the bottom of the stairs the twins break way, and I stagger into the kitchen where Elizabeth greets me.

"I see they figured out how to get into the snow faster" she says passing me some juice and a plate of scrambled eggs.

I just smile back before shoveling the delicious food into my mouth.

It's Christmas Eve today which means there will be a bunch of non-stop family activities for the next forty-eight hours, which should be a real boatload of fun. Peter seems really excited, and he and the twins have already picked out a whole bunch of books, movies, and games to play over the next two days.

Braden walks into the kitchen then, already in his snow gear, and the twins are close behind all decked out in hats, gloves, and scarves. The real surprise though is when Peter follows closely behind, and he too looks ready to spend a few hours in the frozen tundra that is the back yard.

"Ready for some fun there Agent Burke" I mock finishing up my breakfast.

He nods, "Yup. Hurry up; we're going to build the biggest snowman ever."

I shake my head at the antics and put my dishes in the sink and then attempt to put on the giant winter coat Elizabeth bought me. I grab my hat and gloves, and go to meet the rest of the group outside where Peter and Brady are already rolling snowballs, while twins seem to have taken more of an interest in chasing Satchmo around the yard.

I grab a handful of snow and work on helping with the snowman. Peter's rolling out the bottom, Brady the head, and me the middle. Eventually Peter thinks that they are a good enough size so we stack them up (It's a miracle we don't drop any) and then Peter holds Gabby up while she decorates the face, while I help Grayson with the arms and buttons. By the time we finish, it's a really cute looking snowman equipped with a pink hat, scarf, and mittens.

Braden asks Peter for help with a snow fort, so I help Gabby and Grayson pile up some snow by the back fence to make a small hill for sledding on their stomachs. They're having a lot of fun rolling down the hill and Peter says that he'll take us all real sledding after lunch.

I'm sending Grayson down the hill for the hundredth time, when something cold hits me in the face. I brush it off and find nothing but a hat sticking up from behind a snow bank. I silently get both of the twin's attention and the three of us make a bunch of snowballs. I grab a few of them and sneak silently around the snow fort managing to hit Braden in the back of the head and simultaneously be assaulted by an array of snowballs.

"Okay, now it's war" I shout grabbing some snow and chucking it at Peter.

We all start running around, screaming as the snow ends up down our back, and hitting each other with the icy cold snow.

I'm not really sure how long it goes on, but it's more fun than I've had in a while. I see Peter hiding behind the snow bank and gather up a handful before sneaking up behind him and stuffing it down the back of his shirt. He jumps and actually shrieks. I drop to the ground laughing while Peter attempts to get the snow out of his coat. The other three have stopped their war too and are also laughing at our foster father's misfortune.

Suddenly Peter turns around and glares at me.

I stop laughing, "Uh oh." I scurry to my feet and take off as Peter comes barreling after me and tackles me to the ground.

"Peter get off" I laugh between giggles. He's tickling me and it's making me squirm.

Braden and the twins decide to come to my rescue and attack Peter, and next thing we know we have him pinned. We're all laughing really hard, and Satchmo's barking excitedly.

"Lunch is ready" Elizabeth yells from the kitchen making us all climb off of the poor agent.

I help Peter to his feet and he brushes himself off, "Whew, that was exhausting."

"What, old man can't take a little snowball fight" I mock, and then jump out of the way as he lunges for me.

I take off in a sprint towards the house, and only slow down when Elizabeth directs me to brush all the snow off and put everything in the laundry basket. I do as I'm told, and Peter follows suit. Once we're given the okay to enter the house, I can smell the delicious grilled ham and cheese Elizabeth made.

She really is an awesome cook.

"Can we go sledding after lunch Peter?" Braden asks taking a bite of his sandwich.

Peter nods, "Yeah, there's this great hill I know of. You kids will love it."

"Callen sweetie, why don't you call your dad and see if he wants to come too" Elizabeth suggests.

I swallow my milk and grab the phone from her, walking into the living room. Luckily he picks up on the third ring.

"Dad, it's me" I say into the receiver.

"Oh, hey megabyte" he says back, and I can hear him smiling.

It makes me smile that he's happy to talk to me. I haven't really talked to him since that conversation at the park a few days ago. Well, there was that one time two days ago after he nearly died from being locked in a room with no air, but that doesn't really count so much as a conversation as it does him trying to prevent me from having a massive freak-out.

"We're going sledding after lunch and were wondering if maybe you wanted to come?" I ask.

He thinks it over for a minute, "Sure, sounds like lots of fun."

I hand the phone over to Peter to give dad the directions to the place where we're going, and then we all finish our lunches and me and Braden help Peter load the car with the sleds Elizabeth just bought from the store.

It's a short drive to the hill and when we get there, I immediately spot dad standing near the parking lot. He walks towards us as Gabby and Grayson practically bolt from their car seats.

"Daddy, we built a snow fort, and had a snowball fight, and rolled down the big hill. Daddy it was so much fun" Gabby exclaims from dad's arms.

I go to help Peter with the sleds and stuff as my three siblings share their exciting stories with dad. The three of them don't nearly hang out with him as much as I do since I'm fourteen and can go places by myself. Plus, now with my having to work for Peter at the Bureau I get to see him all the time. But they really don't. It's almost like kids of divorce would probably feel since dad gets them for dinner every Wednesday, and they spend the whole weekend with him every other weekend. But hey, I guess 'divorce' gets him more time than prison does.

Finally the excitement of sledding takes precedence over dad, and the three of them are led by Peter and Elizabeth to the top of the hill.

"Hey" dad says looping his arm around my shoulder as we walk towards the rest of the group.

"Hey yourself" I say back leaning into the half-hug.

"So, excited for your first real Christmas?" he asks squeezing my shoulder.

I roll my eyes, "I had Christmas with you ever year. This is just for them."

"So I can still steal you away for our old tradition? At least the food part?" he asks excitedly.

I shake my head amused, "I already talked to Peter and Elizabeth, and after this we're going to go out for burgers and then you are coming back to the house with us where we are going to watch The Santa Clause, while drinking hot chocolate. The only thing is you might have to let Peter read the book, because he's really looking forward to it."

"Deal" dad says smiling, and I'm glad that he gets to be a part of Christmas this year. Actually I'm glad we even get to have it this year.

"Oh, and you're spending the night because we want you there when we open presents tomorrow" I add as an afterthought.

He thinks it over before smiling down at me, and I know he's staying. This might shape up to be the best Christmas yet.

We make it too the others and Grayson immediately pulls me towards a circular sled that he says I absolutely have to try. I hop on it and Peter spins me in a circle and sends me down the hill. Everything is swirling really fast and I end up falling off it at the end but I don't care. I run back up to the top of the hill as fast as I can.

"Can I do that again?" I ask really excited. I have never ever been sledding before for real and I was definitely missing a very fun childhood rite of passage.

The grown-ups all laugh as I climb back on the sled and get sent down once more. This is really fun. I had always figured that dad had never been sledding since he never took me, but now I see that he's definitely been because he's currently building a small bump with Braden and telling him a story.

"See, when I was your age" he begins talking to my eight year old brother, "Me and these two kids from my neighborhood would go down to the hill by our house and build different kinds of bumps and then ride our sleds over them."

"That's so sweet" Braden says climbing back up to the top of the hill.

Dad puts him on the sled and sends him right over the bump where Brady flies into the air a bit before landing safely a few spaces beyond it. Deciding that I now have to try this, dad sets me down and sends me over the bump.

It hurts a bit when you land, but other than that it's really fun.

We sled for a few more hours until the sun starts to go down a bit and the twins are complaining of being hungry. We load the sleds back into the car and Peter drives us all to some burger place where we all enjoy our dinner and I'm reminded of just how much fun I had with dad growing up. I'm glad that Braden and the twins have Peter and Elizabeth to give them things that every kid should have, but I'm also glad that I got the childhood I did because I really wouldn't be the same without all the memories of just me and dad trying to come up with ways to have fun on absolutely no money.

After dinner, we go back to the Burkes and as promised, watch The Santa Clause, which none of my siblings have ever seen and drink Elizabeth's delicious peppermint hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows.

Once the movie ends, we run upstairs to change into our pj's and then meet the grown-ups back on the couch where Peter reads The Night Before Christmas. Dad goes up stairs to tuck the little kids all the twins' room, so he can have Braden's, and I help Peter and Elizabeth clean up the mess.

"Did you enjoy your first ever sledding trip?" Elizabeth asks.

I nod, "It was great thanks."

"I can't believe you have never gone sledding before" Peter says in disbelief.

I shrug, "There's a lot of normal kid things I've never done before Peter."

"Well we're just glad we could give you guys a great big family Christmas this year" Elizabeth says dropping a kiss on the top of my head.

"Yeah, thanks for letting dad come to" I say smiling at them.

Peter shrugs, "Wouldn't be a family Christmas without him."

I smile and wish them good night before heading up the stairs to my room. Today really was an awesome day and the last thing I think before drifting off to sleep is that tomorrows only going to be better.

….

Unfortunately, tomorrow is way too early coming. Although seeing as I was roughly woken up yesterday by two four year olds, it really shouldn't come as a surprise. What is a surprise though, is that now Braden and my dad seemed to have joined the wake-up party.

They all drag me out of bed and down the stairs where my eyes finally open, and I have to do a double take as my brain registers the huge stacks of presents under the tree.

And I mean massive boxes in lots of colorful paper.

"Merry Christmas" Peter and Elizabeth shout.

I shake my head, "Uh yeah. Merry Christmas."

I'm lead to the floor by my siblings, as dad takes a seat on the couch by Peter and Elizabeth.

"Okay, open your stockings first" Elizabeth says all excitedly.

I grab all four off the hooks from the fire place and pass them to my eager siblings. Opening it up, I find a giant King-sized Crunch bar, new headphones, an I-tunes gift card, and a mall gift card. When the other three are busy playing with the action figures from their stockings, I silently thank Peter and Elizabeth, not wanting to ruin the illusion of Santa Clause for the little ones.

"Okay, Braden you want to pass out presents" Peter says.

Braden nods and puts the Santa hat on his head. We had determined last night that he could pass out all the presents this year, and he got really excited.

He hands us each a gift and we let Gabby go first since she's the youngest. She opens it up to find a Tangled play castle and screams with excitement. Grayson gets a bat cave play thing, Braden gets a new game he wanted for the X-box, and I open mine to find the second book in the Hunger Games series. Abbey had recently introduced me to the first one after nearly dying from discovering I hadn't heard of it, and after finishing it I couldn't wait to the next one.

"Thanks" I say happily.

Peter nods smiling and we then get them to open their presents. We all pitched in and got Peter a huge Yankee history fact book for the coffee table, and Peter helped us by Elizabeth a new mixer after we managed to break her other one. We got dad the kids' almanac from each of the last four years as a way for him to catch up on what he missed. That one was more of a joke from Peter, because we also got him paints and canvases and other artsy stuff we knew he'd like.

The next round of presents landed the twins with giant coloring books, Braden a Rip Stick and me a cute new jacket I had been wanting. Braden then wanted to do the other presents for the parents, but Peter insisted we wait till the end and that we should finish opening what we got from Santa. We all happily complied and I was actually shocked by the trouble Peter and Elizabeth had gone too to get them everything on their wish lists.

"Awesome! Mario Party!"

"The dress-up Princess Rapunzel outfit!"

"A light-up soccer ball!"

"GI Joes"

"The new Lego Star Wars Death Star"

"Candy Land"

By the time they were done with Santa's presents, the was a plethora of board games, video games, books, movies, doll clothes, dolls, dress-up outfits, Lego's space ships, stuffed animals, sports equipment, a play kitchen, and two new big kid bikes, with training wheels of course, for the twins.

I was shell shocked to say the least, and that wasn't even taking into the account that Santa had also gotten me some new video games, movies not meant for little kids, plenty of new clothes, a pair of UGG boots, and a docking station for my laptop.

I have never had so much stuff in my entire life.

When we first got to the Burkes, Elizabeth had gotten us enough stuff to keep us entertained inside and out, but other than the little blackmail session I had with Peter that first week and Braden's new bike, we didn't really get anything big or expensive. Not that I was surprised or anything, and it definitely wasn't expected. Honestly, I didn't even think I'd get the cell phone, laptop or X-box when I'd asked because really it was just too much. This is really all too much. I mean, the fact that they actually took us in, and feed us, and give us a place to sleep, and going to school, and arranging play dates, and letting us play sports and do swim lessons was really all we needed. It all we should have gotten.

The gift exchange isn't over though as Peter says that there are still the presents he and Elizabeth bought us. I know that they really bought us everything, but these are supposed to be the ones not from Santa.

"Okay, Gabby you're first" Peter says grabbing a giant box from the kitchen. He passes it to her, and she tears it open eagerly.

Her eyes light up as she comes face to face with a massive three story doll house. "Wow" she says taking it all in. It's one of those that makes noises and lights up, and she's really happy.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she shouts giving Peter and Elizabeth a hug.

"You're welcome sweetie" Elizabeth says, "Okay Grayson, your turn."

Peter pushes a giant box in front of Grayson who tears the paper off faster than his sister did.

"Whoa a train set" he says excitedly.

Only it's not just a train set, but a giant train table that comes with loads of different track pieces, tanks, and accessories.

He jumps on Peter and Elizabeth and immediately asks dad and Peter if they'll help him put it together.

"Sure buddy" Peter says ruffling his hair, "But now it's Braden's turn."

Braden, having seen the awesome presents the twins got is now bouncing up and down with curiosity. He looks like he's about to explode.

Peter pulls out a box from behind the couch and Braden practically dives at it.

"Oh my gosh! An electric guitar! Sweet!" Braden shouts fake playing the instrument.

We all laugh, and Peter slides an amp out from behind the coffee table, which only adds to the so called awesomeness of the gift.

"Thanks Peter. Thanks Elizabeth" Braden says hugging them.

"Alright, Callen. Your turn" Peter says a huge smile on his face.

I think I actually look fearful. If the three of them got such big things like that, I can't even imagine what they could pull out for me. I already have a phone that doubles as an I-pod, and a laptop. I seriously don't need anything for the rest of my life from these people. And didn't Peter say that those were my birthday and Christmas present.

"Peter stop" I say suddenly, "I, You already got me my present."

He looks at me now confused and thrown off by my change in attitude.

"My laptop, cell phone and the X-box remember" I say attempting to jog his memory.

He scoffs at my suggestion, "Did you really think you weren't getting anything? Callen I was just kidding, you needed those things for school. And the X-box was for the whole family."

I swallow thickly. "I really don't want anything. Please" I practically beg.

Peter sighs and Elizabeth looks not upset, but something resembling that. Dad looks sympathetic and understanding thankfully. The other three are so engrossed in their gifts that they aren't really listening, but then Gabby turns to me.

"Callen what did you get?" she asks innocently.

She has no clue that I'm seriously overwhelmed by all this and she's just enjoying the fact that she finally gets to have presents. So is Grayson, and even Braden. I on the other hand know that the stuff Peter and Elizabeth do for us everyday should be the only present I ever receive. Peter gave me my dad back. What else could I possibly want?

Elizabeth seems to take in my discomfort because she steps in, "Gabby, want to see what your dad got you guys."

Gabby and the other two are momentarily distracted by my lack of response and nod at the thought of more presents.

Dad reaches over and hands each of them a box. He got Braden a pair of Roller Skate shoes, Gabby and Grayson both giant art kits with lots of coloring supplies, and I got a new soccer ball and a Beckham poster. It's not much, but it's normal. Dad also got Peter a new drill since his last one broke, and some new pots and pans for Elizabeth since she cooks a lot more now. He even got Satchmo a chew toy.

"Okay, Call you ready now" Peter asks.

I'm rocking back and forth with my knees pulled to my chest. I was really hoping they'd forget, though that was incredibly unlikely.

Without waiting for my response, Peter pulls out an envelope from his pocket and hands it too me.

I squint at the small package. Well, at least it's not a gigantic box. Maybe I'm over thinking this a little too much.

I slowly open the envelope and pull out what's inside.

It's two tickets. I swallow and read the fine print on the paper. They're Taylor Swift tickets. My latest obsession that Abbey got me into.

And now I'm holding to tickets for her concert. And they're not nose bleeds either.

My breathings starting to get heavier and my chest is tightening. Those things had to cost a fortune, and there's two of them.

"We figured you could ask Abbey if she wanted to go and then I would come with to chaperone" Elizabeth says somewhere in the distance as she holds up a third ticket.

Three of them.

My chest is really tight now and I can feel my heart beating through my chest. The walls are too tight, everything is spinning.

I feel sick.

I jump up and run out the front door of the house down the porch and into the yard where I drop and spill everything I've eaten in the last twenty four hours.

I stand back up and then immediately sit down. It's cold out and my bare feet are wet from the snow, but I can't feel any of it. I think I'm going to pass out.

Concert tickets? What were they thinking? I can't take those. That's insane. Callen you're losing it. You've completely gone insane. This is crazy. I can't accept those. But they looked so happy. So so happy.

I fall backwards into the snow not caring if I die of frostbite. I have a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a tank top on, but they're drenched by now.

Yup, I'm going to die. All because of Taylor Swift concert tickets.

I close my eyes. A shadow suddenly appears blocking the sun from my closed eyes.

"You planning on turning into a snowman" I hear dad say from above me.

"It was a thought" I croak out weekly.

He laughs, "You know I have never seen a kid freak out like that on Christmas Day."

"I've never had a reason to panic like that" I say still not opening my eyes.

"Then why did you?" he asks sincerely.

I open my eyes to find my dad's curious expression leaning down over me.

"I don't deserve it" I sigh, "I'm not their kid. I should have gotten any of that. I already blackmailed Peter into getting me what I already had. That was awful. They're not my parents. You are. The only thing I should have is that soccer ball and poster. Foster parents shouldn't buy their foster kids stuff. Not like that."

Dad laughs again and flashes me a Caffery grin that I have to squint to see. "Call, how many times do you have to be told that they think of you like you four are their kids. They love you guys no matter how badly Peter tries to deny it. And I actually don't mind sharing. You kids are happy with them, and that makes me happy. So if they want to spoil you kids, let them. Do it for them. You don't have to accept stuff for you. But do it for Elizabeth. She's always wanted kids, it's obvious."

I think about that. I could do it for Peter and Elizabeth. They have told me countless times that they think of themselves as our other set of parents and that to them, we are their kids. If it makes them happy to give us stuff and play the roles of parents that can spoil their kids, then I should let them. By my logic, I have to let them.

"Okay. I'll try harder not to freak out when they give me stuff" I say.

"Good. And try to enjoy it to would you? I've wanted to be able to give you the life of a normal kid since you were born. That's part of why I am who I am. I just wanted you to have what everyone else got. I know I screwed that up royally, but this is my chance to give that to you. I work with Peter and you guys get good non-screwed up parents. So do it for me too okay?" he asks.

"K" I say as he reaches down to pull me up, "And you're not screwed up. I had the best childhood ever getting to hang with you. Sure it wasn't perfect, but it makes for a lot of good memories."

"Thanks megabyte. That means the world to me" he says wrapping his arms around me in a hug. "Oh and as a heads up, they got you guys a trampoline for the back yard."

I sigh smiling up at him and he kisses the top of my head.

"By the way, I have you're real present for you" he says reaching into his pocket.

I roll my eyes, "Now what. I swear if you got me concert tickets too, I'm going to scream."

He chuckles, "It's not tickets I promise" he says placing a small box in my hands, "Although it might not be as cool."

I flip open the lid of the box and find a beautiful silver necklace that has two interlocking hearts that has something written on it. When I look closer, I can see what it says.

"_A daughter is a little girl that grows up to be your best friend." _

I look up at my dad with tears in my eyes. That's the most beautiful thing I have ever read.

"Dad, that's….perfect" I say through my tears, "It's definitely more amazing then concert tickets. Thank you."

"So you like it" he says a bit nervous, something I don't think I have ever see him be.

I shake my head and put the necklace on, smiling at him, "It's amazing. Thank you so much. This means more to me than anything else ever."

He smiles and pulls me into another hug. "I just want you to know that you're always going to be my first true best friend. You mean everything to me Callen. I love you to death megabyte. And I thought I could show you that this is my promise that no matter what, I'll never really leave you."

I hug him tighter and he kisses the top of my head. "Merry Christmas Callen."

"I love you too daddy, Merry Christmas."


	30. Chapter 30

**Hello again, so here's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy it. Also, sorry if some of the episode dialouge is a bit off, I think it's mostly right but there may be a few added things. Anyways please, please review. :)**

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><p>Chapter 30: Bugs and Cleaners<p>

School had been back in session for three days, which meant I finally had something to do with my ever boring life. Despite the fact that Peter and Elizabeth had gotten me lots of stuff for Christmas, I couldn't actually use any of it. My laptop was off limits, the games I got couldn't be played, the movies were unwatchable, and although the clothes were cool I can't really do anything with those. The only thing I could play with was my new soccer ball, but it was snowing outside and Elizabeth made it clear that there will be no playing soccer in the living room.

Being grounded really does suck.

Not that I didn't have fun over break, the New Year's Eve party that we had was crazy enough to wear me out for century's. Who knew Peter and dad could get so into Pictionary? That game ended real fast since the teams were Dad, Elizabeth, Gabby and Grayson versus me, Peter, and Brady. So basically, the artistic people versus those who are completely inept in the art world. Definitely unfair.

Anyways, other than the whole grounded thing, life had resumed to its normal stature of carpools, sport, and dad and Peter were back to crime solving. I got to see Pete, Abbs and Luc at school every day and indoor soccer was back on. Yes, all was well in the Burk-Caffery household.

Which is why I was completely freaked out when I walked through the front door Wednesday and ran right into Mozzie.

"Ahhh" I screamed before realizing who it was. Then again, he screamed too. "What the heck are you doing here Moz?" I shout attempting to catch my breath.

"Working" he says returning to his work and effectively ignoring me.

I watch him for a few seconds as he swiped a microphone over the mirror by the front door. This is just weird.

"Elizabeth" I yell walking further into the house.

"We're in here sweetie" she yells back.

I walk into the kitchen to find her and Jones talking and eating a plate of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.

"Hey how was school?" she asks passing me a glass of milk.

Deciding that the cookies look too good to pass up, I grab one and take a bite before beginning my questioning.

"It was good. Why is there a guy in the front of our house?" I ask not sure if either of them know that Mozzie is dad's friend and my crazy uncle.

Jones leans over and whispers, "Fowler bugged the house. The little guy is cleaning it up."

I nod fuming. Fowler bugged our house. That's just evil. I really hate that guy. "I didn't know he was in town" I whisper.

Jones nods and Elizabeth frowns, "You've met him."

I nod. "When the whole dad thing happened. He tried to interrogate me" I say quietly reaching for another cookie.

"I really hate that man" Elizabeth says.

I pat her on the arm. "So how long has he been here?" I ask motioning towards the living room where Mozzie is.

"Few hours" Jones says taking a bite. "How well do you know him?"

That's an interesting question. I've known Mozzie since I was six yes, but do I really know him. I know enough I suppose to know what irritates him (i.e. everything) and the majority of his weird quirks, but I will never understand that man.

I shrug, "He's practically my uncle."

"So you've known him for quite a while" Elizabeth asks curious.

"Since I was little. He's kind of a big part of dad's life" I answer simply.

Jones gives me a look, "So then you can explain why he's so.."

"Strange?" I finish.

Jones nods.

I laugh, "Jones, no one can explain him. Not even my dad."

He and Elizabeth laugh and as luck would have it the man of the hour walks in right there. I flash him a smile and he gives me a quizzical look before turning to Elizabeth.

"Well Mrs. Suit, the downstairs would appear to be bug free. Shall we move up?" he asks and I roll my eyes. He's being quite calm for being in the house of a suit. Then again, he's probably covertly looking for some sort of, well anything, that could be used to add to his dislike for the FBI. I'm guessing that's why Jones is playing babysitter.

Elizabeth though doesn't seem to mind having Mozzie around, and I can actually say the same about the bespeckled man. I think this might be the start of something.

We all move upstairs and since I'm too lazy to actually start my homework, I end up following the small group to a closet on the second floor. Elizabeth starts cleaning it out so Moz can sweep though the mess of random objects in the closest. I make small talk with Jones for a bit. I've gotten to know him more since I've started working for Peter as part of my punishment. It actually hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. Me and Jones mostly hang out and do the paper work together, and he lets me in on the cases. Plus our prank war with each other has turned into a prank Peter kind of war, so it's a lot of fun.

The conversation has kind of died down between the two of us though when we hear Mozzie ask Elizabeth an interesting question.

"Old investigation?"

I look up to see Elizabeth holding a box of photos and step a little closer to see what they are.

"More like Peter's surveillance photos. I used to work as an assistant manager at an art gallery downtown. There was a theft and Peter was the lead investigator" she answers smiling at the photos.

"You were a suspect?" Jones asks exactly what I'm thinking.

Elizabeth smiles, "I was a witness but he wanted to know if I had a boyfriend."

I snort at Peter's inability to just ask the question.

"More like add you to the list of corporate, government..." Mozzie begins and then stops, "I mean, how charming."

" Anyway," Elizabeth continues, "he kept drowning on about this Italian restaurant but didn't have the courage to ask me out. So I— Well, I gave him a little hint."

She shows us a picture of her holding a sign that says 'I love Italian' scribbled in marker.

"So that's how you two met" I say between laughs. "I was wondering how you two ever got together."

She just smiles at me.

"Misappropriating FBI resources to follow a girl" Mozzie says shaking his head.

Jones smiles, "It has been known to happen."

"The suit is sly" Mozzie says looking back at the box.

Elizabeth smiles again, "He's a bit of a bad boy."

I can't help the giggle that escapes. Peter, a bad boy? Ha, that's the funniest thing I've ever heard.

I'm still laughing when Peter comes up the stairs. He shoots me a look and I start laughing all over again. Jones shakes his head but chuckles a bit too.

Just then, the man of the hour walks up the stairs to find all four of us laughing. "What?" he asks skeptically.

"Nothing" I say back laughing. He gives me a look that says 'yeah right', but I ignore him.

Mozzie decides to jump in then seeing the stare down between the two of us. "So the first floor is clean, but the second is still a minefield."

Peter diverts his attention from me and looks at the little man. "So what, are you saying we can't sleep in our own bed?"

Mozzie looks quizzical, "Do either of you talk in your sleep?"

"No" Peter says at the same tie Elizabeth says "He does."

I start laughing all over again. Mozzie just looks, nods, and begins to walk out.

"Jones drive him home" Peter says.

Mozzie laughs, "Oh, nice try Suit, nice try. Havishum out." With that he leaves the room to go downstairs.

"Callen, you should go with him?" Peter says nodding towards where Moz had just vacated.

I give him a quizzical look, "Why? I'm not allowed at dad's."

"Well under the circumstances, your siblings were already supposed to be there and since you can't sleep up here you might as well spend the night with your dad" Peter says.

Makes sense. "Cool, see you tomorrow."

"Sleep tight sweetie" Elizabeth says giving me a quick hug.

"Behave" Peter warns.

I stick my tongue out at him and run down the stairs to Mozzie who's walking down the street. I quickly catch up with him and yell for him to wait up.

"Suit finally let you out of his sight?" he questions as we resume walking.

I roll my eyes, "Hey, being grounded isn't that awful."

"You're bored aren't you?" he asks simply.

"I'm dying" I tell him.

He chuckles. Initially he was disappointed in my being caught but knowing that dad wouldn't approve in Mozzie approving of my short lived almost criminal career, he let it go. He still might not exactly approve of my FBI career choice either, but we just don't talk about it.

"Well maybe we can do something fun tonight" he adds in his cryptic voice.

I shake my head, "School night. Homework, dinner and bed."

He looks at me like I'm insane, which at this point I'm thinking I might be. "The suit would never know" he says.

"Sorry Moz, I'm not going to lie to Peter" I say as we reach June's house.

"Okay who are you" he shouts grabbing my head and poking at it, "What have they done to you? Where's the incision?"

I slap his hands away and push open the front door. He's still mumbling about me being kidnapped and corrupted when we enter dad's part of the house. Gabby and Grayson are tackling dad in the middle of the living room floor, and Braden's throwing couch pillows at him. They all look up when they hear the door open though.

"Callen, hey" dad says standing up effortlessly making the little kids pout. "What are you doing here?"

Mozzie comes in then still talking to himself and dad looks to me for the answer.

"I told him I wasn't going to lie to Peter and he went a little crazy" I say making the cuckoo sign.

Dad chuckles, "You really have turned a new leaf haven't you."

"You'd be amazed how much a person can change in prison" I joke.

Dad just laughs, "Seriously though, where's Peter."

"At home" I answer dropping my stuff, "Mozzie didn't get the whole house so Peter said I should spend the night here."

Dad nods and goes to grab the phone, "Pizza?"

"Yes please" I say dropping onto the couch.

Mozzie goes to talk to dad, and Gabby and Grayson decide to come crawling over me, while Braden flips on cartoon. I decide to take them into my room and drop the both of them on the bed.

"Are you not gwounded no more?" Gabby asks as I flop onto my computer chair and go to start my homework.

"Nope, still grounded" I reply looking disdainfully at my geometry worksheet.

"Then why is you here?" she asks, "Daddy said you couldn't come over cause you was gwounded."

Seeing their logic I decide I should explain it to them in the simplest terms, "Well you know how I was not grounded on Christmas."

They both nod.

"Well, the same goes for today. I'm not grounded for the night so I can stay with you guys and dad" I say.

They both seem to like that answer and busy themselves with some of Gabby's toys. The pizza arrives shortly after and we eat dinner quickly before dad goes to get the other three ready for bed. I end up doing my homework on the kitchen table since Gabby sleeps in my room, and dad and Mozzie are in the middle of some sort of conversation that pertains to something that's probably Kate related. I was kind of listening at first, but then tuned out deciding I didn't really care anymore. If dad wants to be strung along by Kate then I'm going to let him. I'm tired of arguing with him about it, or not arguing since I don't think dad can actually argue, but either way I don't want to hear it anymore.

After I talked to Peter when he told e he talked to Kate, I determined that it was highly plausible that Kate really never loved dad and since I've had an inkling since the beginning, I'm kind of glad that Peter thinks so too.

A knock at the door brings me from my thoughts. Dad shoots Mozzie and me a quizzical look and I shrug my shoulders. He goes to the door quietly and leans against it. I never really got why he did that. I think it might be a copping mechanism for him since he's been doing it for as long as I can remember. I'm not really sure why though; all I know is that if there's a knock at the door he always leans on the door quietly before he pulls it open.

Satisfied, he pulls the door open. "Elizabeth" he breathes out slightly confused.

I lean back in my chair and look towards the door startled by my foster mom's sudden appearance.

"Come in" dad says trying not to appear to be taken off guard. "The kids are all asleep if you want…"

"Peter's in trouble" she says cutting him off, "he needs your help."

Dad glances over his shoulder at me and Mozzie, "How can we help?"

She sits down on the sofa while Moz and dad go to stand in front of her and I take the seat next to her. I wrap her in a hug and she pulls me closer to her side. Taking a deep breath she explains that Peter is being accused of taking a bribe from a judge and that the judge got it on video. Apparently if the bureau sees the video, Peter will get fired.

"You want us to break into a Federal Judges office and steal a tape?" Dad says in awe.

Elizabeth shrugs determinedly, "You jumped out of one."

She's got a point, but it's not the same thing and dad knows that. But this is Peter. And Peter is family.

"We'll handle it" dad says and I notice that although they both look skeptical, dad has a determined glint in his eye.

"Handle. Right, like a doorknob" Mozzie says and I look at him skeptically.

Elizabeth stands up and drops a kiss on my head before dad says good bye and tells her to get home safely.

Dad turns around and looks at the two of us, "So how are we going to do this?"

A half hour later the three of us were sitting at the kitchen table, a board game we found laying out in front of us and different pieces of the game being used as props. I'm supposed to be in bed right now, but no one seems to have noticed that I'm still up, so I'm not bringing attention to that. And it was technically my idea to pull the whole fake courier thing, but we'll just keep letting them think it was heir idea.

"And then I come around dressed as the courier" Dad says.

"Wearing this" Mozzie adds pulling out a uniform and handing it to dad, "It's oddly difficult to find a tailor in the dead of night, but I did the best I could."

Dad looks at it curiously, "Is this a park ranger uniform?"

"Maybe" Mozzie says avoiding eye contact.

Dad picks it up, "With an iron on?"

"I couldn't find a thimble" Mozzie says, "Oh, and don't forget this."

_Moz pulls out a toy gun and I grab it. _

"A BB gun?" I ask incredulously. Dad shoots Mozzie the same look.

"Would you prefer a real on?" Mozzie asks.

"No" Dad says and I laugh. He shoots me a look and then switches topics, "How are you going to stall him?"

Mozzie smiles, "With my obvious charm, of course."

Dad looks scared, "Do we have a back up?"

I start laughing hysterically; because that is the funniest thing I've heard all night. Dad looks towards me as if realizing that I'm actually in the room.

"Callen isn't it past your bedtime" he asks.

I shake my head, "Nope. I don't have a bedtime. Fourteen, remember."

"Bed" he says pointing towards my room, "School night remember."

I roll my eyes but decide it's easier to just go to bed than potentially get grounded more. "Fine, but I want to know what happens."

"Dually noted."

….

It's not until I come home from school the next day that I discover whether or not the whole plan actually worked, but Peter still has is badge on him and seems happy, so I'll go with a yes.

"So I take it that all is well here" I say tossing my soccer bag on the floor along with my backpack.

Peter nods, "Yup, and thanks."

"For what" I ask reaching for an apple from the bowl in the middle of the table.

"I know you helped" he says.

I shrug and take a bite, "I really didn't do anything."

"Well thanks anyways" he says smiling a bit.

I simply nod and finish my apple when I see Peter set something down in front of me. I look down to see my shiny Mac book sitting on the table. I look back at Peter.

He shrugs, "It's been two months and you've been very good about this whole thing. I'm proud of you kiddo."

"Thanks" I say reveling in the compliment.

He nods, "Okay here's the deal. I bought you this expensive thing, and you're not using it. So, you can use it for school work only, and maybe e-mail. No TV though or video games got it?"

I nod excited to have it back, "Are you sure Peter?"

"Like I said, you earned it back. But everything else still stands" he says and then adds, "Plus this way maybe you'll quit whining about being bored all the time."

I roll my eyes at him and he smiles slightly. "Thanks Peter, I'll only use it for school I promise."

"Good" he says straightening up, "Now I need your help with something."

An hour later, I'm standing in the middle of a graveyard staring at the tombstone of my dad's girlfriend's father. Peter dropped me off with Mozzie who brought me here. Apparently dad had asked Peter to pass a message to Kate and the answer was to go see her dead father. Not creepy at all.

"All hope abandon, ye who enter here" I hear Moz say from where he meets dad and Peter near the entrance.

"I called him" Peter says before dad gets a word in.

"Consider this your Kate intervention" Mozzie adds.

This is what we're here for. Dad needs to let Kate go and both Moz and Peter are encouraging him to do it. Like I said, I'm indifferent to the whole thing at this point, but that's only because I no longer see the point. Dad won't quit. He can't. He's going to find the music box if it kills him, and I think that's what both Peter and Mozzie are afraid of.

"You brought Callen too" dad says now standing next to me.

"Hey" I say looking up at him, "Sorry."

Dad shrugs and says something to Peter, but I'm no longer listening to what's being said. Poking out from the bouquet of flowers is a yellow origami flower. Only one person I know does origami, and it's not Kate. I realize that dad sees it too, but that he's not telling Peter.

Peter pats dad on the shoulder and starts to walk towards the car. The second his back is turned, I bend down and reach for the flower, examining it.

"Is that" Mozzie begins, but dad cuts him off with a nod. "You gonna tell the suit?" he asks.

Dad shakes his head no. I tug on the petals of the origami structure. It looks exactly like the one she left the last time.

"Kate wants you to ask Alex to help you get it, doesn't she?" I say standing back up and handing the flower to dad.

He kind of looks like he's seen a ghost.

"Are you gonna talk to her?" I ask, knowing the answer is yes. Alex is the only one who knows where the music box is. She's the only way he can get it.

"It's been a while" Mozzie says.

"Five years and two months" dad answers looking into the distance and I know he's thinking of Gabby and Grayson.

That's a whole other issue though. Who knows if Alex knows dad has them. Or even knows about them for that matter? If he sees her again, will he even tell her? Will she want to see them?

Probably not, I mean she did give them up. But then again maybe there was a different reason. Either way, if dad sees her it means they have to talk about what happened not just move on like the way it was before. Because, things are different now and I think that realization scares him.

I know it scares me.


	31. Chapter 31

**Hey, so it's been a while since I posted. I'm sorry, I know. I had a chapter posted but I really didn't like it at all so I took it down. And then I got some writer's block and I honestly can't say that I even like this chapter but at least it's something. It's probably awful though, and it's shorter than normal. **

**Anyways, thanks to anybody who's still even reading this. I'm going to try to finish it soon hopefully. Thanks again, and don't forget to let me know what you think. **

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><p>Chapter 31: Guilty Until Proven Innocent<p>

"Find one yet?" I ask Conner once again as I lean around the corner of the alley.

"Yeah, business guy. Nice suit, looks expensive" Connor shrugs without glancing at me from where he's positioned low on the concrete.

I nod to myself attempting to get my bearings in place. We shouldn't really be here, let alone out at all, but I need proof and this is the only way to get it. I can't believe I even need proof in the first place.

If only he would have just believed me.

….

"_Okay I'll talk to you later Luc" I shout after my friend and his mom who have just dropped me off from soccer. _

_I push open the front door ready to go take a shower and just sleep. What greats me when I walk in though is not a quiet household like I'd expect, but rather a very loud scene. _

"_Peter, how could you even say something like that" Elizabeth asked her voice slightly raised. _

"_You don't know her El" Peter said back equally as loud. He looked mad, something I have never seen, but he was fuming and red and it scared me. "She's done it before." _

_Elizabeth shakes her head, "She promised you Peter and I know that in your heart you know it wasn't her. She wouldn't betray your trust like that." _

_Peter made a move to say something but stopped as both of them glanced at the door that I just slammed shut. _

_I stood there, soccer bag still slung over my shoulder looking confused. I had no clue what they were talking about, but somehow I knew the 'she' in the conversation was me. _

_For a minute, no one said anything and then Peter threw a newspaper at me. I caught it with ease and opened it up the front page. _

_The headline read "TEEN CAPERS STRIKE AGAIN", a really lame title if you ask me and I was about to comment on it when the picture below the title caught my eye. _

_It was a fuzzy black and white photo but you could clearly make out three figures lurking on the roof. The photo must have been taken from a security camera on the roof. What a rookie mistake. Other than the technicalities I seemed to keep pointing out without helping I, I noticed that the three figures seemed to resemble what could have easily been me, Pete, and Connor. _

_The figure in the middle had a braid over her shoulder, and the one on the right was the same height as the girl while the one on the left was about two inches taller than the other two. Just like me, Pete and Connor._

"_Peter what is this?" I ask slowly gaging his reaction. _

_He takes a deep breath and turns on me, "The bureau is now investigating and on the lookout for three teenagers that have now robbed four galleries. Know anything about that Call?" _

_He says the last part with such sarcasm that I almost don't recognize that I'm actually talking to Peter. I knew I couldn't just go and scream at him, so as calmly as I could I set the paper on the coffee table and turn back to him. _

"_No Peter I don't" I said as calmly as possible. _

_Peter moved to stand on the other side of the coffee table, "You sure because three months ago I thought I found you in the same position and yet that kid there looks a lot like you." _

_I can't believe he's doing this. How could he not trust me when I've been trying so hard to do everything right? I know I screwed up initially. There's that party he still doesn't know about, and all the lying. But I've been trying, I really have. _

_I'm mad now, and that's clear when I answer him. "Really Peter? You're just going to outright accuse me without even asking?" _

"_You've done it before" he said back. _

"_But I told you why I did that and I told you I wasn't going to do it again" I shouted. _

_Before Peter could answer a small noise came from the top of the stairs and Elizabeth went to check on the little kids but not before shooting a glare at Peter first. We waited a whole five seconds before launching into it again, albeit in whispered tones._

"_How am I supposed to believe that when this happens" he says pointing to the paper on the table. _

"_I told you that's not me. Peter, why won't you believe me?" I reply feeling really hurt. _

_Peter lets out a breath although his face is still red and his eyes glaring. "I don't know what to think with you guys anymore. Neal promises me he's done and yet every week he finds some way to make me want to regret it. He was with me for less than six months and he's already gotten himself locked back up once." _

_I'm beyond angry at this point. He knows dad was innocent in that situation, and he can't compare us. We're not the same. _

"_You said we weren't the same" I shout at him and his face grows confused, "You told me to my face, that I was not my father's daughter. That I had the ability to make my own choices. That I could choose my own path. And you know what Peter? For some stupid reason I chose to believe you, to trust you." _

_I clench my fists and try to calm my breathing because I can feel myself beginning to hyperventilate, and that's not good. It's not working though, and I need to remove myself from the situation before something happens. I turn to walk up the stairs. _

"_Where do you think you're going? This conversation isn't over" he shouts after me. _

_I stop on the steps and turn to face him. "You know what Agent Burke, you are not my father. You don't know me and you obviously don't believe me. I thought you were different, that you understood and wanted to help. But you don't. You're just like the rest of them. You're going to use my dad for your own gain and when you're done you'll forget all about him. You don't care about us either. You're just pretending and that's sad really because those kids look up to you. I looked up to you, but I guess I was wrong." _

_I don't let him say anything as I run to my room, slam the door and lock it, shoving my dresser in front of it. I sit back against it, to slow down my breathing. I know that deep down he really does care and that my words hurt him, but I'm hurt and right now I just don't care._

_So I decide to do what I've always done, run. _

_Elizabeth will take care of the twins and Braden, I know that for a fact, so I feel safe leaving them here. I grab my backpack and dump out my school stuff and throw in a few changes of clothes, the box of granola bars I've been saving out of habit, all my allowance money, and my stuffed dog Sammy. I also grab the presents my siblings got me for Christmas, and the one good family picture that I have of us with dad and Mozzie. I'm wearing the necklace dad got me, and toss on a sweatshirt since it's still cold out and then slip open my window and climb out quietly. _

_I'm actually kind of surprised that Peter isn't waiting out there when I reach the bottom. Maybe he does still trust me. Anyways, I'm not going to think about that now. I yank up my hood and head into the dimly lit street. _

_Peter wants proof, I'll get him proof._

…...

The first thing I did was find Connor. I've ran enough times to know how to survive, but being in pairs is always easier. Luckily, he was glad to have the company and showed me where he had set up camp in an abandoned building not all that far away from Central Park.

That was almost three weeks ago.

I'd broken my promise to Peter, and had easily reverted back to my old ways of picking pockets and stealing food. But hey, a kid's got to eat.

When I didn't show up for school three days in a row, Pete came looking. He's always been good at finding me. Unfortunately for him, that meant lying to my dad and Peter when they asked him where I was. I don't think either of them really bought the fact that he didn't know, but Pete wasn't going to sell out his best friend.

Pete had agreed to help since Peter was accusing him too. It was nice to have my best friend on my side for this. I knew he didn't like lying to my dad, but I was thankful he was. He was also keeping me informed on what was happening at home. Braden was upset with me for taking off, but he was more upset with Peter and had gone to not talking to anyone that wasn't Pete or the twins. The twins for their part thought I was at soccer camp so they weren't worried.

I also realized that it's a lot easier to hide from your dad when he's locked in a super max. And that it's also easier when you don't know loads of people in the FBI and they don't care about you. Peter and dad had literally covered what seemed like the entire state in missing child posters. Me, Connor and Pete had done our best to tear them all down, but they just kept showing up.

It wasn't too challenging though, as long as I stayed more towards the teen crowds than my dad's usual contacts or hiding spots. And hanging with the teens also made it easier for me to try and gather info and the kids who were making my life incredible difficult.

So far, the group had it three more places, which wasn't looking good for me since I was no longer at home. It had helped though because I'd noticed a pattern with the thieves and was sure I'd be able to get the proof I needed.

Right now though, I needed cash and that meant scoping out targets.

"Alright how long till a good drop point" I say checking my watch.

"He'll be in range in…, oh crap someone else just picked him off" Connor said holding out the binoculars for me to see.

I grab them from him, "Where?" I really hate it when other people pick off my mark.

"Hat, glasses, tan coat" Connor said, "He bumped him, guy didn't even notice."

He's right, the guy didn't notice at all. He was so oblivious he didn't even notice he just got bumped twice, though I feel sorry for the second thief since there wasn't anything to steal. I watch as the guy stops a few feet later to check his pocket, only to realize that his wallet was indeed gone. Sucker.

I turn back to the two thieves to get a better look, when I realize I know them. Not one of them, but both of them.

"Connor, come on" I say moving into the street to follow the two.

As we walk trying to look unnoticed, I pass by telephone poll and notice another missing child poster with my picture on it. I yank it down and throw it in the next trash bin we pass. The last thing I need is for some do-gooder to call the cops on me.

"Isn't that your dad?" Connor whispers once we establish a safe distance on a nearby park bench.

It is my dad, and he's talking to Alex. "Yup."

"Do you know who he's talking to?" he asks and I nod.

We leave it at that and sit with our sweatshirt hoods pulled up. It wasn't too cold out, but I've survived colder. Right now though all I cared about was to know what my dad wanted from Alex. I waited till their conversation was over and dad had effectively disappeared before I motioned Connor to follow me.

"Alex" I said once I was close enough for her to hear me.

She spun around at the sound of her name and eventually came to land on me and Connor who were now standing in front of her.

"Callen?" she asked a little surprised. I don't really blame her though, last time she saw me I had braided pigtails and six missing teeth.

"Yeah, it's me" I reply, "And this is my friend Connor."

"Hi" she said recovering from her initial shock, "I just saw your dad. He said you were missing."

"I am, so don't tell him you saw me" I say smiling, "I'd rather he not know where I'm at."

She nods and looks at me closely, "Yeah sure. Wow, I can't believe how tall you are. Last time I saw you, you were maybe nine."

I nod, "It has been over five years Alex."

"I certainly missed a lot in those years" she says smiling, "You're dads out now, and you are almost as tall as me."

"What else did dad tell you other than that he was out?" I ask curious. What I'm really wondering is if he told her he had the twins, or even if she cared.

"Not much" Alex said, "He asked me about the music box, said he needed it to find Kate."

I nod. So he didn't tell her about how he's working for the Fed's, or anything about the twins. He probably figured it wasn't important.

"You tow hungry?" Alex asks, "I just picked up a few bills."

Connor laughs, "Yeah, you picked our mark. I think you owe us."

….

After lunch with Alex, which was excellent, me and Connor headed over to the library to meet Pete. Peter and dad may have picked up on a few of my hang out places, but neither knew about the library roof so that's where we'd meet Pete after school.

"Hey" he says when we make it up the stairs, "what took you guys so long?"

"You're never going to guess who I ran into" I say giving Pete a quick hug. He shrugged waiting for me to continue. "Alex."

"Alex Hunter" he says surprised.

"Yup. She was talking to my dad about the music box" I tell him taking the granola bar he offers and stuffing it in my pocket for later.

"She's the only one who can get it for him" Pete says putting the pieces together.

I nod and sit down to tell him the rest. Me and Connor tell him that dad hasn't told her anything, that she promised not to rat me out if she bumped into dad again, and that she knew where the next place the teens I was after were planning on targeting.

She had asked me about why I was hiding from my dad and I told her we got into a fight, which was really only a half lie since I did get into it with Peter. And then she asked if me and Connor were the ones pulling the heists that were all over the paper. I rolled my eyes and told her I wasn't stupid enough to get caught like that, I was after all a Caffery. She smiled and said she knew dad raised me better than to get caught on camera, or let it slip to the underworld where my hits would be.

And then I got her to tell me, because with dad poking around looking for me, I had zero Intel that was worth anything. I trusted Alex enough though that she wouldn't go spilling anything I told her to dad. Kate would have gone right and told him, but Alex wouldn't. She said it wasn't her business.

"Great, they're actually going to try and steal from the Met" Pete said sarcastically, "These kids are really stupid."

"Well, they haven't been caught yet" Connor added, "They can't be that stupid."

I shrug and turn to the boys, "It doesn't matter either way. We're going to get them and send them to the cops."

Pete laughs, "First we're the thieves and now we're cops. You really are following in your father's footsteps Call."

I turn to look at the skyline, "Yeah well, if you think about it nothings really changed. It's all the fun of running a con, but without the worry of arrest. And hey, we could even get paid for it."

"Recovery agents" Pete says in a really bad British accent that I'm guessing is supposed to be a James Bond impression.

I shake my head but can't help the smile that crosses my face. "Guys, I think it's time we get the team back together."


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey again, so here's the next one. Hopefully it clears up any questions, if not let me know and I'll see what I can do. **

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><p>Chapter 32: There's More Than Just Being Right or Wrong<p>

I'm sitting on my makeshift bed, two sleeping bags and a blanket, reading _The Great Gatsby. _I had finished _Treasure Island _yesterday and was now halfway through this one. Pete has been bringing me homework and stuff so that I could at least keep up with my homework and study for all the tests I knew I'd have to take when I got back, if I even went back.

Initially I had been planning on just bringing these dumb kids in for Peter to prove to him that it wasn't me and then going home, but that didn't fix the fact that Peter hadn't believed me in the first place. And that was something I didn't know how to fix.

"Pete this place is gross, I thought we were going to the library" I heard Abbey whine from the hallway.

I smiled and looked up from my book as my friends rounded the corner to step into the room that me and Connor were occupying. The space wasn't very big but it did its job, which also apparently freaked Abbey out.

"Abbey, just be quiet for like ten seconds" Pete laughed and then pointed towards me, "See."

Abbey and Luc, who was also here, both turned to look at me. "Callen" Abbey all but yelled running over to give me a hug.

I hugged her back and nodded at Luc. Pete handed me a bag of stuff that I flipped through with one hand, the other still hugging Abbey. A box of granola bars, some apples, homework from the day, a few new library books, and my sneakers.

"Pete you're awesome" I say kicking off the gym shoes I've been wearing and slipping on the black converse high tops one Abbey lets go of me.

"Hey don't thank me, your little brother thought you might like them" Pete says shrugging.

When I left, I only took the important stuff with me and although my gym shoes were good for running I missed the feel of my Converse on my feet. Pete had been trying to get me some of my stuff for the last few weeks, but breaking into June's house was trouble enough and all my good stuff was at the Burke's and there was no way Pete was breaking in there.

Thankfully though, I have the best little brother ever.

"Tell him thanks then" I say standing up, Abbey right behind me.

Pete nods and looks around, "Where's Connor?"

"He went to get lunch" I answer stealing the soccer ball out of Luc's hands. I hadn't played in weeks, and I missed it greatly. "So not that I'm not happy to see you guys, but why are you here?"

"You said you wanted the team, I brought you the team" Pete says dropping to the ground.

I did say that. "Alright, what do you two know already?"

Luc shrugs and sits down near Pete, "Most of it I guess."

"So you know why I'm not at school then?" I ask dribbling the ball on my jean clad knee.

They both nod. So I continue, "Good. So according to Alex the group is going to hit the Met on Thursday. That gives us the rest of today and tomorrow to organize."

"Wait, who's Alex?" Abbey asks stopping my train of thought.

"Alex Hunter is my dad's…" I begin, but then stop. What was Alex? A friend? I guess that's the best answer I could give. She's not his girlfriend, that's Kate, but they were more than friends. I mean there are two little four year olds walking around as proof of that.

"She's part of the family" Pete answers for me, which I suppose is as good an answer as any. "Callen's dad and Alex go way back."

"So she's like your aunt or something" Abbey asks.

I flip the soccer ball into my hands, "She's not related."

"So an ex-girlfriend than" Luc says raising his eyebrows.

Me and Pete exchange a glance. "Something like that" I say falling into a seat on Pete's other side.

Abbey's still standing and looking really confused. "Wait, I'm confused. Is she or isn't she?"

I sigh and rest my head on Pete's shoulder. This doesn't even have anything to do with what we're trying to do, but Abbey can never seem to let the little things go. She needs all the answers.

Luckily I have Pete to answer those for me. "Look Abbey, all you need to know is that Alex and Neal have a love-hate relationship. No one really knows how to explain it, and I'm sure they don't even have an answer. Alex no matter what though, will always be important to Neal. And she's Gabby and Grayson's mom. But she doesn't know that Neal has them, so if we run into her don't mention them."

'Thank you Pete' I think, I don't even think I could have explained it like that. I look towards Abbey to gage her reaction and she looks semi-confused and semi-interested, but she doesn't ask anything else and I'm glad. Alex is a difficult subject in our house. Kate and her don't get along at all, they met once and Kate knew something had happened between her and dad. The thing though, is that Alex is the only lead dad has to finding Kate, and she's the mother of his youngest two children.

"Alright" Luc says, "So is Alex important to what we need, or not really."

"Not really" I say sitting up straight again, "But what I do need, is some wrist ties."

"If you have the location of where they'll be, why don't you just call the FBI and let them handle it?" Abbey asks.

I had thought about that, but I wanted to take these kids on head on. Luc would be a little help, but not much, and Abbey would be no help at all if and when it came to a fist fight. She may be an athlete but she also tended to freak out, if you haven't already noticed.

"I just don't want to" I answer simply, "So me, Pete, and Connor will go talk to them nicely and then you two call Peter and tell him where to find us. Then he can pick up his proof and boom our names are cleared."

"By 'talk nicely' I assume you mean something else" Luc says glancing at me and Pete.

Pete shrugs, "We'll be fine. Callen's tough." I roll my eyes and slap him in the arm.

"So what are the wire ties for?" Abbey asks.

I smile at Pete and he smiles back. "Last I checked we don't have handcuffs."

…...

"Do you ever wonder what's going to happen?" Pete asks as we sit atop the monkey bars at the playground in Central Park.

The snow has died down considerably, and most of the ice and cold has gone with it so we decided to go out for the bit of sun that was available. The park for the most part is empty, just a few kids running around here and there.

"What are you talking about?" I ask glancing over at him.

He sighs, "You know, when your dad finds Kate. What's he going to do?"

I simply shrug, since I don't have an answer. I know my dad promised he wouldn't ever leave us, but that didn't mean he was against taking us with him if he and Kate fled. Which of course would mean more running and name changing and honestly I'm tired of it. Starting somewhere new wouldn't be bad, but then I want to start completely new. Not running from my dad's past, and certainly not with Kate.

"I just mean, are you going to go with him if he decides to leave?" he asks. I know that what he's really asking though is if I'll leave him. I don't know what I'd do without Pete, and honestly I don't want to leave him. I love my dad, but if he's going to choose Kate over me than I have no problem choosing Pete over him.

"No" I say before I can think any more about it, "He'll want to be with Kate and she'll want Braden since he's her kid, but I don't think I can live with her for the rest of my life."

"So what would you do than, stay with the Burke's?" he says turning on the bars to face me.

Initially, that would have been the plan. It would have been perfect. The four of us kids could have stayed with Peter and Elizabeth, and dad and Kate could have gone off and lived their happy ever after.

"I highly doubt Peter would take me back" I say even though deep down I know that's not true. "No, I could convince Elizabeth to keep Gabby and Grayson. They'd get the chance to grow-up in a house with two loving parents, where they could go to school, play soccer and have play dates, with all this being nothing but a distant memory."

"You'd really just let them go, just like that" Pete asks in disbelief.

I shrug. "They'd be happier there than on the run with dad, and we all know Alex won't take them so yeah. Braden would go with dad though. He needs his mom, even if she left him once. It makes sense that way. Brady is dad and Kate's kid so he should be with them. He's young enough that he can still have a semi-normal life."

"What about you?" Pete asks readjusting his position, "Where would you go?"

"I heard Florida's nice, lots of old people and tourists. Plus its warm all the time there so you don't have to worry about being cold" I say thinking about it.

Pete shakes his head, "So you move there, and then what? Huh? You get a job at Disney World selling tickets for the Teacups?"

"Maybe" I shrug, "It would be a good way to start over. I could get a job, save some cash, maybe go to the Community college and get a degree in something. I could even still join the FBI if I wanted to. Who knows?"

"Is that really the best option" he asks.

I pop my knuckles, "Probably not, but it's the right option. Everybody's happy then."

Pete scoots closer and loops an arm over my shoulder. "Well Ally cat, you know that wherever you go I'll follow. Hey, maybe we can convince my grandparents to move into one of those old people's homes down there."

"You're grandpa would like that" I say smiling, "He does like to golf."

Pete nods. Mr. Somerfield loves his golf clubs, possibly more than he does Pete.

"We could bring Connor with us too" he says thinking it over, "I know I said I didn't like the kid, but he's kind of growing on me. Besides, some change in scenery could be good for him."

I smile glad that the two of them have finally gotten along. It's funny to think that just a few months ago, Pete couldn't stand Connor.

"We should bring Jessie too" I add thinking of the little seven year old that used to live above us.

"You don't want to bring your siblings, but you'll bring Jessie?" asks curious.

"The twins would be safe with the Burke's, and Braden would be with my dad. Jessie's got nobody. We can't just leave her in foster care by herself" I reason.

Pete nods, "You're right she should come too."

We sit in silence for a while thinking about it. We could do it if it came down to it. It's just a thought right now but as Ben used to say, you should always have a back-up plan.

Our thoughts are broken when we hear a cop walking through the park glance at us and shout something.

"Hey you two don't move"

"Crap" I say hopping off the monkey bars, Pete right behind me. "Remind me to kill Peter latter for putting up those stupid flyers. I swear every time I take them down, more go right back up."

Pete nods, "Which way?"

I point left and we take off right, running through the park. The cop is running behind us know calling for back-up, but we keep going. I lead as Pete follows. We head down the streets and try to go through the more crowded areas to hopefully lose the guy in the crowds. We swerve down a few alleys until we find a fire escape and start to climb.

The cop behind us is really fast, but we've got years of experience running. Once at the top of the building, we run to the other side and climb down the escape on that side and then dart back out into the street and loop back towards the shopping area. There's a Barnes and Noble there, so we dart inside and head towards the back corner where we drop to the ground among the aisles.

I take a deep breath as I rest against the shelf. Pete throws himself down next to me, also out of air. We take a moment to regain our breath before we climb back up to our feet.

"Well that was fun" he says laughing slightly.

I nod, "Yeah, but let's not do it again."

He returns the nod and motions for me to follow him. We go to the bakery that's sin the store down stairs, and he buys us each a Gatorade which I happily drink.

"What now?" he asks after a few minutes.

"You should probably go home for dinner" I say looking at my watch, "Your grandmother will be upset if you're late."

He looks reluctant to leave but nods anyways. "Yeah, she'd probably kill me."

I laugh and give him a quick hug. "See you tomorrow?"

"Absolutely" he says hugging me back, "Be careful Call."

I smack him in the arm, "Stop worrying, I'll be fine."

"I know" he says smiling before he disappears.

Once he's gone, I pop my knuckles and walk out the door scanning the crowd for cops. I find none, so I begin the walk back towards mine and Connor's hideout.

"That wasn't by chance a Somerfield was it?" I hear someone say to my left.

I stop and look at where the voice came from and smile, "Alex. How did you find me?"

"I didn't" she says smiling and moving one of her auburn curls out of her eyes, "Just happened to be in the neighborhood when I saw you hanging out with that very cute boy."

I roll my eyes, but can't help but smile. "Yes, that's Pete Somerfield if you need to know."

"Wow has he grown" she says, "he looks a lot like Ben."

I nod.

"You two still best friends?" she asks, "or something else?"

I smack her in the arm and turn to keep walking. She catches up with me easily though. "Me and Pete are friends" I tell her, not that I wouldn't mind if he was my boyfriend I suppose.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts and Alex smirks. "What?" I snap.

She holds up her hands, "Nothing."

We walk in silence for a bit until finally she breaks the quiet. "What were you going to tell me yesterday?"

"What are you talking about?" I ask feigning ignorance because let's be real, I know exactly what she's talking about.

"When you asked me what me and your dad were talking about you looked like you wanted to ask something and you looked odd when I told you, like there was something else" she says stopping, making me stop with her.

I gulp. "It was nothing."

"Callen, tell me" she says leaning in towards me. If it wasn't for her heals, we'd be practically the same height.

I bite my lip. I'm such a good liar, but right now I can't think of anything. Instead I whisper two words, "I know."

"Know what" she asks.

I take a deep breath. "I know about the twins."

Alex's eyes go wide and she looks away for a minute. "How?" she finally says.

"When dad went to prison, Kate was supposed to watch me and Braden" I say deciding to start from the beginning, "After two years of that though, she dumped us in foster care. When we were there, me and Braden ended up in a home that had a little girl there. Her name was Gabriella Hunter. She looks just like you Alex; it didn't take long to put two and two together."

Alex stood up and took a deep breath, taking it all in. "I found Grayson later, but their together now" I tell her trying to help.

"He knows doesn't he" she says after a moment.

I nod, not really sure what else to do.

Alex sighs and leans against a close by building, "He didn't say anything."

I go to stand beside her. "You should go talk to him about it."

"I can't see them" she says shaking her head.

I glance up at her, "They're not there. They stay with our foster parents and right now they're out of town because of some sort of renovation thing Pete told me about. Elizabeth, our foster mother, took them to visit her sister upstate."

"Foster parents?" Alex asks confused, "If you're dad's out why doesn't he have custody."

I bite my lip again because I just ruined that secret too. "He's not out technically" I tell her, "He, well he broke out for Kate and then got caught but rather than four more years locked up, he's working with the FBI."

"He's working with the Fed's" she says like that's a bigger deal than the fact that dad knows about the twins.

I nod, "The agent that caught him are the ones that are taking care of us."

"Oh I am going to kill him" she says pushing off the wall and starting to walk.

I run after her, "Well do what you want, just don't tell him I told you. But Alex, you should listen to him first."

She looks over at me smiling, "We'll see, in the meantime you want to tell me where he is?"

Deciding I don't have any other option I give her the address to June's, and hope for my dad's sake he's still breathing tomorrow. I've only seen Alex mad once, and it ended with Ben nearly getting his head blown off.

As we reach the end of the street to split in different I call to her one more time, "Hey, just be careful okay. He's only trying to do what he thinks is right."

"Well sometimes the right way isn't always the best option" she says before she too disappears.

She has no idea how true that really is.


	33. Chapter 33

**Hello again, okay so here is the next one. It's a bit shorter but has some action in it so that might make up for it. The next one will probably be longer. Thanks again to evryone who's still reading this, and don't forget to review. :) **

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><p>Chapter 33: Broken Bones<p>

"Alright so we all know the plan when we get there right?" I ask the group as we sneak through streets towards the Met. It's after midnight so there's not a lot of people other than a few cops doing their nightly rounds.

"Callen are you even listening to me" Pete says walking beside me.

I don't look at him when I answer, "I heard you the first time Pete, but right now I'm a little busy."

Pete had been giving me updates on what was going on at home with my siblings and apparently last night some girl that the FBI was after for murdering some guy ended up holding my dad at gunpoint. Although I was somewhat worried about that, it had happened before so I was good at not panicking at that news. What was bothering me though was that Braden had been staying with dad since he hadn't gone with Elizabeth out of town due to school, and was in the apartment and by extension somehow during the exchange ended up with a gun pointed at his head.

The official story from Pete is that the woman made dad take her somewhere so she could collect whatever it was that she wanted, and left Braden alone as long as dad cooperated. That didn't mean that Braden still wasn't freaked out by the whole situation, and that upset me. No one messes with my brother.

So now Pete is telling me that I need to go home for my little brother, which I know that he's right, but right now I need to get these stupid kids so that I can actually go home.

"I hope you know what you're doing Call" is all Pete mumbles as the five of us approach the art gallery I've been to a thousand times before.

I turn to face him just once, "I know exactly what I'm doing."

With that we walk around the back of the building towards the small ladder situated on the far side. We stay hidden in the shadows behind a dumpster and wait. It doesn't take long though for us to find three figures walking towards the ladder, each clad in black and with a duffle one can only assume is their needed equipment. A laptop was pulled out of the duffle and the smaller boy looked like he was busy checking security before nodded to the other two that everything was good to go.

I nod to my own group and we wait for the first two to climb up the ladder, leaving the smaller of the two boys at the foot of it. He waits for the girl and the other boy to make it to the roof with the duffle before he looks around the area and starts to climb. That's when we make our move.

Pete and Connor sneak up on either side of the kid and while Pete clamps his hands around the kid's mouth so he can't scream, Connor yanks him off the ladder. Connor's a smaller kid since he doesn't get a lot to eat, but he's still strong enough to help Pete, who is definitely bigger, hold down the kid.

I slip the zip ties around his wrists and Luc hands Pete the duct tape to keep him quiet. For our first kidnapping I have to say that went pretty well.

We leave the kid who looks really scared, for Abbey and Luc to babysit while me, Pete, and Connor silently climb up the ladder one by one. Luckily, these kids have done all the work for us so we weren't worried about cameras or anything like that.

When we get to the top, the other two are near a vent system and neither looks over towards the stairs which means they aren't very alert. Pete was first up and he jumps over the ledge onto the smooth roof.

"Hey Josh what the heck is taking so long" the girl says.

I jump over the roof then and Connor is right behind me. The extra footsteps alert the two kids near the vent and they both turn around ready to attack once they realize we're not the cops.

"Can I help you?" the girl asks somewhat rudely.

I take a step closer, "Actually you can. You could give yourself up and make this a lot easier."

"Why would we do that?" she asks also taking a step forward.

"Look" I begin, "You and your little group are first of all terrible criminals considering the whole city knows that it's your group that keeps robbing these places. It's only a matter of time before they find out who you actually are."

I walk closer, Connor and Pete right behind me, and the two of them step closer as well.

"Normally I would have zero problems with what you're doing, in fact I commend you for getting away with it this long, but the fact that I've got an FBI Agent that's accusing me of pulling this makes me not like you one bit. So here's what's going to happen, you're going to give up and turn yourselves over to the cops. My FBI friend can help you get a lesser punishment, and I can go back to not being accused of a crime that I'm smarter than committing."

She glares at me and rolls her eyes. "Turn myself over to the cops, sorry not going to happen."

I glance at Pete and shrug before turning back to the offenders. "Thought so, but I figured I'd ask anyways" I say before moving even closer for the attack.

Pete and Connor are right behind me to take on the other boy who had been quiet the entire exchange. I focus on the girl that I just knocked over and grab her wrist to pin it. She manages to get the other one up though and gives me a punch in my jaw.

I fall backwards off of her and land on my back. I quickly jump to my feet though, as does she, and raise my fists. Me and Pete used to get into fist fights as kids all the time and Ben would always teach me new ways to fight. It probably wasn't a smart thing at the time to let the two of us go at it rather than break us up, but years later, I'm thankful for all the pointers that my best friends brother gave me.

She lunges first and when she does, I place a kick to her gut and a well-timed uppercut to her jaw. She staggers backwards, but regains her footing and lunges after me. I end up on my back again, my arm breaking the fall, with her on top this time. She gets two clean shots at my face before I manage to shove her off and knee her again in the stomach. It's hard enough to knock the wind out of her, but not enough to do damage.

While she attempts to catch her breath, I turn her over on her stomach and snap the zip tie around her wrists and another on her ankles for good measure.

I sit back then and take a deep breath. Glancing at the boys, I see that Connor is just bounding the kids' wrists as Pete sits on him. He has a split lip, but otherwise seems fine. I'm fairly certain Connor has two black eyes though based on the way the little bit of moonlight is shining off of it.

I decide to move over to them and put both my arms down and push to stand when the left one suddenly gives and clasp my right hand over my mouth to stifle the scream. Tears well up in my eyes at the pain and I'm trying really hard not to start crying.

Pete is over by my side in seconds though. "Call what is it? What hurts?"

"Arm" I choke out clenching my teeth. Pete gently touches it and I bite my tongue and yank it away.

"It definitely looks broken" he says leaning back. He rips one of his sleeves to wipe the blood that's running from my nose before pinching it and tilting my head back to stop the bleeding.

"Connor go get Abbey, tell her to call Agent Burke so he can arrest these guys" Pete orders, "and bring the repelling gear. There's no way she's climbing down that ladder."

Connor starts descending the ladder and Pete moves to sit so his legs are on either side of me. I lean back, my arm cradled to my chest as we wait for Connor to come back.

"I told you this was a bad idea" he whispers.

I use my right arm to elbow him in the stomach, "You said nothing."

He laughs and put my head on his shoulder, tired and in severe pain. Connor comes back with the repelling gear we had gotten from some old supplies of Ben's that Pete had kept. Pete helps me to slip on the harness and we attach it to the stable railing surrounding the ledge before I climb over it and slowly repel to the ground where Luc waits at the bottom to help me out of the equipment.

Pete and Connor come down the ladder than the gear in hand, and we meet up with Abbey.

"Okay, so I called Agent Burke like you said and just told him where he could find them" she says standing up from where she was sitting, "Callen are you okay?"

I try to smile at her, but it's weak and my arm is killing me.

"She'll be fine" Pete promises her, "Can you and Luc hang here and make sure Peter picks them up?"

Abbey and Luc both nod.

"Good, tell him that you guys came across them when you were walking or something. He'll know your lying, but he won't push the issue. And make sure he gets the two on the roof also" Pete says.

We hear sirens in the distance which means we need to move. Connor grabs the gear and the three of us take off in the opposite direction. At this point, everything's a blur and pretty sure I hit my head when I fell too. The only thing I feel is the pain shooting through my arm and the pounding in my ears.

I'm no longer aware of where were heading, but Pete's got a hold on my right arm so that's enough reassurance that it's going to be okay.

….

"_Callen get down from there you're gonna get hurt" Pete shouts from where he's standing on the ground. _

"_Stop being a baby. You're worse than Braden and he is a baby" I shout back moving to a higher branch. _

_Some kid in the neighborhood had bet me that I couldn't climb the tree in the back courtyard of our apartment building. Of course I told him that I could and now was about a fourth of the way up. For six years old, I was doing a very good job. Unfortunately I was also scarring Pete. _

_He was used to me doing crazy things and normally he would come with because he couldn't say no, but whenever it seemed like I would do something that was going to get me hurt he'd chicken out like a baby and attempt to make me stop too. _

_It was incredible annoying. _

"_Callen, come on you proved your point" he shouts. _

"_Baby" I call again before grabbing the next branch and hosting myself up. _

_It's not scary being up here, I actually kind of like the view. I grab the next branch to move again when I hear a crack. Before I can think about it, the branch snaps and I'm falling. I hear Pete screaming my name, and then a thud as I land on the ground. _

_The first thing I do is scream. Something hurts badly. No, not something, my arm. I keep screaming and crying waiting for the pain to go away. _

"_I told you not to climb that tree" I hear a voice say. _

_I stop screaming and open my eyes to find my dad leaning over me. I'm still crying, but seemed to have calmed down considerably with my dad close. _

"_Daddy it hurts'' I whine as he picks me up. _

"_I know megabyte, it's probably broken" he says carrying me to the house, Pete running behind talking about how he said it was a bad idea. _

_Dad turns to him and puts his hand on my best friends little six year old shoulder. "Pete it's okay. Callen's going to be fine." _

"_But I let her do it, I should've tried harder" I hear Pete say. _

_Dad laughs, "Yeah well she's stubborn, like you. Trust me Pete; there will be more opportunities for you to stop her from doing something that could get her hurt." _

"_Really?" Pete says. _

_Dad ruffles my hair and we start walking again, Pete looking at me as he walks next to dad. As we walk up the stairs I hear dad answer Pete's question. _

"_Yes, just like I always know you let her do it anyways." _

…_._

When I gradually wake up I find that I'm in my bed at June's, Pete sleeping in Gabby's bed. My first thought is that it's funny because her bed is pretty small and he's curled up in a ball in order to fit in it.

My second thought is that I'm in my bed at June's. I bolt up and nearly fall off the bed in doing so. Luckily I'm able to catch myself before that, and that's when I get my second surprise. A blue cast on my forearm.

I silently climb out of the bed and peak around the door into the living room. Mozzie's sleeping on the couch and I pull the door open a little more. The house is quiet and I check the clock on the wall and notice that it's barely six.

I must not have been asleep that long then. I catch a glance of myself in the mirror that sits in the entrance to my dad's open room and stop to look at myself.

There is a small scrap on my chin, and one of my eyes is covered in a decent bruise. There's another one on my forehead, and a smaller one on the opposite side of the black eye that's around my nose. My hair is incredibly greasy and gross, and I'm still covered in dirt. And I smell incredibly gross.

"Doesn't look that good huh?" I hear my dad mumble.

I glance over at him. He's lying on his side looking up at me, a full blown grin on his face. I smile back before launching myself at him and giving him a huge hug. He hugs me back tightly and sits up a bit so that I'm not crushing him.

"I'm sorry dad" I say into his shirt.

"I know" he says kissing the top of my head. "You were upset with Peter and you did the only thing you know how. I'm not mad, but why didn't you come here? Why didn't come and talk to me?"

"I don't know" I answer honestly, "I guess that never really occurred to me. I was so used to doing things by myself that I just didn't think about you."

"Well next time, don't disappear on me please. You can't keep running from your problems" he says kissing my head again.

I push away and look up at him, "Are you going to take your own advice?"

"What do you mean?" he asks looking genuinely confused.

I look him in the eye, "Alex, Kate, the music box, Peter, your past. You can't run either."

"That's different" he says, although I don't know if it's me he's trying to convince or himself.

I nod anyways, "To some degree it is, but you still plan on running. You can't run forever."

Dad shakes his head, "You really need to stop being so smart, it's starting to freak me out."

I shrug, "Good genes."

He laughs and pushes me towards the other side of the bed. "Go back to sleep. It's too early."

"Fine" I say rolling over and burying my face in a pillow, and then a thought hits me and I bolt back up. "How did I get here?"

"Pete called me and we came to get you two. Your friend Connor took off, but we took you to a doctor friend of his to get your arm casted. Figured we'd keep you out of the hospital database for now. Peter sent me a text saying he got those kids and that he was sure he had a lead on where you were. I didn't tell him I had already found you. I thought you could decide that for yourself" he says sliding onto his back.

"Thanks dad" I say before closing my eyes. My last conscious thought is that Peter is probably going to break my other arm, and legs, and everything else.


	34. Chapter 34

**Hello again, **

**So here's the next chapter. I'm not sure how much I like this one, but it sets up some stuff for the end of this story so it is what it is. Anywho, thanks for everyone who read and reviewed. It means a lot. Let me know what you guys think. **

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><p>Chapter 34: Time Changes More than You'd Think<p>

The weekend went by slowly, mostly with dad and Mozzie trying to stuff me with food. Pete ended up hanging out all weekend, after clearing it with his grandparents, and dad managed to keep Peter from June's. I had talked to Braden who was still staying with dad since the Burke's cable renovation wasn't finished yet, and we spent some quality time together, with Pete of course. I think he liked that it was like the old days before all of this mess. I know I did.

When Monday rolled around though, I knew I couldn't hide from Peter forever. My black eye was uglier than ever, as was most of my face. Then again Pete's looked close to the same so I didn't feel too bad. Dad wasn't in any hurry for me to get back to school, his excuse being that if I had already missed close to a month, than another day or week wouldn't hurt.

So that's how on Monday morning I ended up standing outside the Burke's now upgraded household scared for my limbs. Dad even knocked this time rather than just barging in.

I swallow as the doorknob twists and the door swings open revealing a smiling Elizabeth.

"Oh my goodness Callen" she says pulling me into a hug. I hug her back glad to finally be able to do so. I was never mad at her, and if anything missed her the most. It was hard going from having a mother figure all the time to suddenly not having one.

"What on earth happened to your arm and your pretty face" she says noting the bruises and cast.

Elizabeth looks at dad for an answer but I step in, "It was just a fight nothing big I promise."

She looks upset but then just shakes her head and hugs me again. Peter comes down the stairs then, two giggling toddlers hanging on his back.

"Neal, Callen" he says smiling. He sets the twins down who run over to dad possibly a little freaked out by the bruises I'm sporting.

"Hey Peter" I say warily.

He stands there and raises his eyebrows, "Get into a bit of a fight."

I shrug, "Just a bit. You should see the other guy."

Peter actually laughs and then he pulls me into a bone crushing hug that makes my feet actually leave the floor.

"Uh Peter, bruised bones" I choke out.

"Right" he says setting me down, instead putting his hands on my shoulders. "Callen look, I'm sorry."

"Hey guys why don't we go get breakfast?" Elizabeth cuts in motioning for the twins to follow her, "Neal?"

"Yes, breakfast sounds great" dad says moving towards the kitchen.

Gabby stops before she gets there and runs back towards me, wrapping my legs in a hug. I kneel down and hug her back.

"I missed you Callen" she says into my shoulder. I hug her tighter and give the top of her head a kiss.

"I missed you too Gabstopper" I tell her and am suddenly shocked by another small weight attacking my other side.

I hug both my littlest siblings and then they run to go eat. I stand back up and Peter motions for me to sit down on the steps. I take a seat and he takes the seat next to me.

"I know you're upset" he begins, but I cut him off.

"Look Peter, before you say whatever it is you're going to" I say looking at him in the eye, "Let me say that I'm sorry I ran. It was immature and I shouldn't have handled it like that. I was just angry at you for not believing me."

"I know. You trusted me and I said that I trusted you but I obviously proved I didn't and for that I'm sorry. You had every right to be upset with me" he says, "But next time how about we cool off and then talk. And no more helping me with cases either, I hate to see you get hurt and I don't know that I could deal with it if you went missing again."

"Sorry I made you worry" I add as an afterthought.

He sighs and pulls me into another hug, one that I gladly welcomed. I missed being able to talk to Peter more than I thought I would. That thought makes me laugh.

"What?" he asks curiously.

I shake my head, "Nothing. I just never thought I'd see the day where I actually missed FBI Agent Peter Burke."

Peter laughs at that too, "And I never thought I'd see the day where I was actually a worried father."

With that he ruffles my hair and gets up to go eat, shouting over his shoulder "Oh and you're grounded for two more months. We'll talk details later."

I groan and throw my head back against the steps.

….

"And then he called you his daughter" Pete said as we sat in the bonus room above Luc's garage.

After my heart-to-heart with Peter, where he did a lot more yelling about me being reckless, we discussed what was going to happen next. He told me that him and Jones had arrested the three kids and sent them to Juvie, after they visited a hospital of course. He also reluctantly gave me a two hundred dollar check as a reward from the bureau for catching the thieves which I then promptly exchanged for cash and took to Connor.

He needed it way more than any of us would.

I was also explained to that since I was incredibly reckless and irresponsible, which is part of why I was grounded in the first place, two more months were added to my death sentence making it stretch until school ended for the year. Which meant no phone, video games, TV, and my laptop was repossessed again. And Peter master locked my windows.

The only plus side was that Peter felt guilty about me running, so he let me go hang out with my friends at Luc's tonight. It was good, even if it was just one night.

"No, not his daughter, he said that he was a worried father" I repeat tossing my controller to Luc after just beating Pete in Black Ops. I hadn't played in forever and was glad to see I hadn't lost my touch.

"Which still implies you're his daughter" Abbey says taking her turn on the game.

I think about that. She's right, Peter practically called me his kid and it's no secret that Elizabeth thinks of us as her kids. I guess I never thought Peter would feel that way about us though. Well maybe about the twins and even Braden, but never me. I never truly thought that was possible.

"What are you going to do?" Luc asks while annihilating zombies.

I shrug, "No clue."

Pete comes to sit beside me on the beanbag I've claimed, which means he's sitting really close.

I hadn't gone back to school that week, my three 'parents' didn't want me to walk around looking like I'd been mugged, so Pete had come to dad's, which I was luckily allowed at again, after school every day to do homework and would then stay for dinner. We had spent so much time together lately, that I almost forgot what it was like to not have him around.

"So Luc your birthday's next week, what are we doing?" Pete asks playing with a strand of my hair.

"I don't know, I haven't really thought about it?" he says glancing up from the screen, which gives Abbey prime opportunity to put a bullet in his player.

"Hey" he shouts glaring at her.

She shrugs, "Sucks to suck."

Luc rolls his eyes and starts a new game, "I guess we could go play laser tag. That sounds like fun."

"Uh Call's got a broken arm" Pete says holding up the casted limb.

"Right" Luc says thinking, "Well it's just going to be us so how about I ask my mom if we can go to a Yankees game, it would be preseason but still. My dad could get tickets through his law firm. Connor should come too."

"Works for me as long as Peter's okay with it" I say shifting to get more comfortable, this bean bag was not meant for two people.

I end up half in Pete's lap which should be really awkward yet surprisingly, despite the initial oddity of it isn't all that strange.

"I'm in too" Pete says wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

We hang out for little bit longer, playing video games and eating snacks until the doorbell rings and Mrs. Russell calls up that it's for me. Abbey's mom is taking Pete home since they live relatively close to eachother, so Pete stands and wraps me in a hug before I leave.

I meet Peter at the bottom of the stairs incredibly confused by my best friend. We say good-bye to Luc's mom and I thank her for having me over as we head to the car.

"Alright, what's with the look?" Peter says as he backs out of the driveway.

"What look" I say feigning ignorance. Peter just rolls his eyes.

When we get home, Peter goes upstairs to say goodnight to Braden and I find Elizabeth in the kitchen.

"Hey sweetie how was Luc's?" she asks making herself a mug of hot chocolate. "Would you like some?" she adds motioning to her drink.

"Yes please" I nod, "Luc's was good. We played video games, and I think he's inviting us to Yankee's preseason game for his birthday next week."

"Ooh, that would be fun" she says popping two mugs in the microwave.

I nod deciding that that wasn't a no and then a thought strikes me, "Hey Elizabeth, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure sweetie what is it?" she says giving me her full attention.

I swallow thinking about how to word what I want to ask. "Okay you see, me and Pete have spent a lot of time together lately and recently he's been acting strange."

"Like being distant strange?" she asks pulling the mugs out and handing me one.

I shake my head no, "Complete opposite."

"Well" Elizabeth says smiling mischievously, "I think that Pete may have a crush on you."

I sigh and lay my head on my elbows. "That's what I thought."

"Do you like him back?" she asks leaning more on the counter so that she's closer to my level.

I shrug my shoulders up and down, "Kind of. Yes. But he's my best friend. I've known him since I was born. What if it's weird or I go out with him and then we break up and we're not friends anymore?"

"Oh sweetie" Elizabeth says placing a hand on my arm, "You two have a strong enough bond that even if it doesn't work out, I'm sure you guys can go back to being friends. It will all work out trust me."

I sigh and sit up to take a sip of my hot chocolate. "So what should I do then? Wait for him to say something, or do I say something to him?"

"What do you want to do?" she asks taking a sip from her own mug.

I roll my eyes, "That's what you're supposed to tell me."

She laughs and tucks my hair behind my ear, "When it's right, you'll know what to do."

"I hope so" I mumble into my mug.

"You will, I promise" she says kissing the top of my head.

My face scrunches in confusion then, "Wait aren't you supposed to tell me I'm too young for a boyfriend or something?"

"No, you're almost fifteen, and despite recent events, are responsible and know how to handle yourself. Plus me and Peter like Pete, he's a good kid. And I know your dad would approve. I think it would be fine" she says smiling.

I sigh and finish off my hot chocolate, putting my mug in the sink. "I'm gonna go to bed."

"Alright, goodnight sweetie" she says giving me a hug.

I hug her back, "And thanks for the advice mo…Elizabeth."

I dart out of the kitchen after that not believing that I almost just said that. I run into my room and flop onto my bed. What is going on with me lately? First Peter practically calls me his kid, then I think my best friend could possibly be my boyfriend, and now I almost just called Elizabeth mom. This is getting odder by the minute.

I'm starting to think the dosage for those painkillers I'm on is too high.

...

Waking up I find that I fell asleep in my clothes and my four year old brother is staring at me. "Ah, Grayson what are you doing in my room?"

He shrugs his little shoulders, "Mommy's taking Gabby to ballet, Daddy's working, and Braden's spending the day at Dada's."

I bolt upright at what my little brother just said, "What are you talking about?"

He gives me the 'weren't you listening look', "Mommy's taking Gabby.."

"I heard that" I say cutting him off, "I mean who are mommy and daddy and dada?"

He looks at me confused so I climb off my bed and pick him up, carrying him down stairs. I find Peter at the dining room table dressed in his suit and reading a case file.

"Morning Callen" he says smiling at me.

"Hi, Grayson tell Peter what you just told me" I say cutting to the chase.

Grayson scrunches up his nose, "bout what?"

"Why you wanted me to take you to the park" I say as calmly as possible.

"Oh that, I said that Mommy was taking Gabby to ballet, Daddy had to work and Braden was going to be with Dada" he says smiling happily.

"That" I say pointing at Peter, "What is he talking about?"

Peter smiles, "Ah you haven't been here in a while."

"Uh no, so an explanation would be nice" I say balancing Grayson on my hip.

"Alright settle down" he says closing the file, "A few weeks ago Neal asked the twins why they were still calling us Mr. Peter and Ms. Lisbeth and they said they didn't know what else to call us. So your dad suggested that they could call us mom and dad since that's basically what we were to them."

"But they already call him dad" I say starting to understand.

Peter nods, "So your dad said that they could call him dada that way..."

"That way it doesn't get too confusing" I finish for him.

"Exactly" Peter says standing up and grabbing his files.

"And dad's totally cool with this?" I ask still not believing any of this.

Peter just nods, "It was his idea."

"Are you cool with this?" I ask tilting my head to the side. I know Elizabeth probably loves it, but I never saw Peter as a guy that would want to be called, that. Then again, there's a lot of things that I never thought could happen and still did.

Peter shrugs, "Actually, I htink I knd of like it. Now take your little brother to the park."

He pulls my phone out of his pocket and I glance at it curiously, "I thought I was grounded?"

"Oh you are" he says dashing any hope, "It's for emergencies while you guys are out of the house, and no texting."

"Got it" I say taking the phone from him, knowing that even if I deleted the messages he'd still find out.

"Alright by guys, behave" he says ruffling Grayson's hair.

"By daddy" Grayson calls back as Peter walks out the door. "What?" he asks noticing me looking at him funny.

I shake my head, "Never mind, just go put your shoes and coat on."

I set him down and he runs up the stairs. I grab the house phone and head to my own room dialing Pete's cell in the process. He picks up on the third ring.

"Hello" he says sleepily.

"Hey it's me" I say changing my shirt and grabbing a clean pair of jeans, "I'm taking Grays to the park by my house."

He yawns, "I'll be there in fifteen."

I hang up and pull on my converse and grab my jacket before heading back downstairs where Grayson is waiting patiently. I put the house phone back on it's stand and grab two pop-tart packs from the cabinet and two Gatorades as well as a fruit snack and juice box for Grayson.

The walk to the park is actually comforting. The weather has warmed up considerably and all the snow is gone, it's not supposed to stay this nice but for now it's perfect. When we get to the playground Grayson makes a mad dash for the play equipment and after I set the bag with our snacks down I chase after him.

"I'm gonna catch you" I say trying to duck under the bars. I'm really too big for this.

He giggles and decides to go down the enclosed slide which is not the easiest thing to do. Suddenly he screams which startles me and I look over the top of the tube in relief when I see Pete standing at the bottom of the slide, Grayson thrown over his shoulder. I bypass going down the plastic, and instead jump down from on opening where a ladder is.

"Hey" Pete says smiling at me.

"Hi" I say back taking my little brother from him and walking towards the swings.

I strap Grayson into one of the toddler ones and Pete offers to push him so I take a seat in the next swing sitting backwards so I can face Pete.

"I thought you were grounded?" he says after a moment.

"I am, but Grayson wanted to go to the park and I really don't think you count as part of my grounding rules" I reply.

"And what makes you think that?" he asks grinning.

I kick him, "You're my best friend, you can't really ground someone from someone as important as that."

"So I'm important to you?" he says grinning even bigger.

I kick him again, but can't help but think about what Elizabeth said last night. We sit in silence for a bit, listening to Grayson's giggles and pleas to be pushed higher.

"So Luc texted me this morning, his dad got us tickets to the game" Pete says breaking the silence, "Are you gonna go?"

I shrug, "I want to, and I asked Elizabeth last night and she didn't say no so I guess so."

"Cool" he says, "Next Friday then."

"Yup" I say popping the p.

Pete slows Grayson down so he doesn't get too high, and then starts pushing him again. "You know, speaking of birthday's there's an important one coming up."

"Your birthday isn't until May" I remind him.

He shakes his head, "Not mine."

I think for a bit, "Well we already celebrated Abbey's in October, Braden's is June, the twins won't be five until August. We celebrated Peter's in January and Elizabeth's is in July. And I know Ben's was in September because it was a week before dad's. And Mozzie, well I don't actually know when his is, or how old he is?"

I look at Pete having just confused myself and he laughs, "You forgot about you Call."

"No, mine's not important" I say shaking my head.

Pete rolls his eyes, because he knows. When I was a kid I loved my birthday. Dad used to make it super special and do something huge and get me the coolest present ever, and we would go out for pancakes in the morning and the day was absolutely perfect.

For my tenth birthday, dad was planning on taking me to Coney Island. He had a friend who worked there and before the park opened, they would test out the rides and things and let the families of the workers have free admission for the day. We were going to go, but dad got arrested before we could. Kate tried to make the day special, but it failed miserably. Ever since then I've given up on caring about my birthday.

"Well you're going to be fifteen in two weeks, that's big" he says smiling.

"Not as big as sixteen" I say hoping he doesn't make this a big deal.

He shrugs, "True, but this is the first one you get to spend with your dad in five years. That's big right?"

I don't say anything and go back to kicking my feet in the dirt. We take a break after that to eat snacks and then Grayson asks if we can go for a walk. We each take one of his hands and walk towards the shopping centers, listening to Grayson tell me everything I've missed in the last three and half weeks.

We're about to take Grays into a small toy shop to look around when a voice stops us in our tracks.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? If ain't a Caffery and a Somerfield?"

I spin on my heals to come face-to-face with the most hated man amongst mine and Pete's family. I immediately grab Grayson off the ground and move to stand between Pete and Matthew Keller.

"Keller" Pete spits out like it's poisonous.

"What not happy to see me?" Keller says feigning ignorance.

Pete snaps and lunges around me, "You killed my brother you son of a.."

"Pete" I yell grabbing his collar and yanking him backwards, "Stop. Beating him up won't solve anything and don't swear in front of him." I motion towards Grayson, who, scared by Pete's outburst, has buried his face in my shoulder.

Pete takes a deep breath and I hand Grayson to him, "Go show him the race cars, I'll be there in a second."

"Call" Pete says warily, but I just shove him towards the door.

"You got a lot of nerve showing up here" I say turning towards Keller.

He tilts his head, "What daddy didn't tell you I was visiting?"

I let my face show nothing, but inside I was thinking that dad knew he was here and didn't tell me. "What do you want?" I ask irritated, "You're lucky there's a child around otherwise I would let Pete beat the crap out of you."

"Now why would he do that?" Keller asks smirking.

Now I'm about to punch this guy, "You killed Ben and he didn't deserve it. You never should have pulled that trigger."

Keller laughs, "That guy had it coming. Look Caffery, I'm not here to piss off your boyfriend. I just wanted to swing by and say hi, enjoy some friendly competition with your dad, the usual. By the way what happened too your face, it used to look so much better?"

He's lucky I have a cast on my arm otherwise I would clock him. "What competition?"

"Just some old bet we made a while ago, thought it was time to cash in" he says, "It really is a shame though about his whole radius thing, being tied to leash all day. It's too bad, your mom misses him."

"She not my mother" I snarl, "And you're bluffing."

Keller shrugs, "Ah you're old man didn't seem to think so. Tell him I say hi."

"I won't" I snap before turning around and walking into the toy store.

Grayson's playing in the corner with a train set and Pete's standing in the corner rubbing his hands over his face.

I walk over to him and grab his hands, "Hey are you okay?"

He shakes his head and he actually looks like he's going to start crying. I have no idea what to do if that happens. Normally I don't have an issue with making sure he's okay, but this is beyond my limits. He needs his brother and I can't give him that.

But I can give him something else.

"Come on" I say yanking on his hand so he follows, "Grayson come on. Let's go get lunch."

Outside I hail a cab and we ride over to June's. When we reach dad's apartment, Pete goes right out to the balcony and Grayson runs over to where Braden is watching cartoons.

"Hey, what's wrong?" dad asks noticing the tension that walked in with us.

I glance towards my best friend, "He needs his brother."

Dad understands what I mean and goes out to talk to Pete. Mozzie stands up from where he's sitting and crosses his arms over his chest as we both glance out towards the balcony.

"So what did happen?" Moz asks not looking at me.

"Keller" I answer, "We ran into him. Pete tried to take his head off."

Mozzie just nods.

"You guys weren't going to tell me he was here were you?" I ask after a moment.

Mozzie shakes his head. "Your dad didn't want to upset Pete or you by extension."

I look over at the table to see what they had been doing early. They're clearly reconstructing a wine bottle. I think back to what Keller said about an old bet and then something dad had mentioned to me in passing once comes back to me.

"The Ben Franklin bottle" I say recognition dawning on me.

Mozzie turns towards me, "You remember that?"

I nod, "Why is dad playing this? He hates Keller after what happened with Ben."

"He's working with the suit to bring him down" Mozzie says sitting back down to work again.

I breathe a sigh of relief because that's good news. "Just make sure he gets him" I say moving to my room.

I flop on my bed wondering how in three weeks everything could have changed so much.


	35. Chapter 35

**Hey everyone, okay so I am so sorry it took forever to get this posted. I spent two weeks working the summer festival from 5 to midnight and then sleeping the rest of the day. Anyways, I finally finished this chapter. Although I'm not quite sure how well it turned out. **

**Oh well, anyways the next chapter is most likely going to be the last as we have officially reached the end of season one. I may write a sequel, which could be and actual story or one-shots revolving around the other seasons. I haven't quite decided yet, but feel free to let me know what you think about that. **

**Okay, now you can read. Sorry about the long note. And don't forget to review. :) **

* * *

><p>Chapter 35: Is One Week of Normal too Much to Ask?<p>

When you randomly disappear for a month, people start talking. They talk even more when your picture ends up all across the city with a missing person's headline. And if they're a bunch of fourteen and fifteen year old high school freshmen, they spread rumors around like wildfire.

Based on what I've heard, the list of possible things that had happened to me ranged from the simple one that I was dead, although the cause seemed to vary vastly, to the crazy one that I had been kidnapped by the mob. Other viable options were that I was put in witness protection, a spy (which in all honesty was just absurd), being detained by the cops, abducted by aliens (that was my favorite), arrested, and the one Morgan started that the circus had finally come back for me. Let's just say Morgan got a bad case of food poisoning at lunch when she had spread that one.

I love my friends.

The point is I probably should have been more aware of these rumors when I burst into the school on Monday and thinking back, a plausible backstory would have also been helpful. But I wasn't worried about any of that as I headed to my locker to find Pete. I was super excited, and nearly tackled him when I found him.

"Whoa Call, what's got you in a rush" he asked smirking, noticing how out of breath I was.

I took a deep breath. "We got him. Well, dad and Peter or the FBI got him, but we got him."

I'm grinning like crazy at this point and am beyond happy. Pete looks at me pondering. "You're serious?" he asks skeptically.

I nod. "Mathew Keller is beyond bars."

"How?" my best friend asks starting to smile.

"The Ben Franklin bottle. The auction was yesterday, and dad pulled one of his crazy schemes and managed to somehow force Keller to choose FBI custody over being beaten by the Russian mob" I explain, "I'm a little hazy on the details, but Keller's going to prison. He's being booked this morning."

"How long do you think he'll get?" Pete asks closing his locker.

I shrug, "Well Peter thinks he can make a big case for the murder of the guy he ran over with his car. Plus there's loads of other charges that they can bring up. Unfortunately, there's no evidence to use to charge him for Ben's murder. Dad was the only witness…."

"And there's no body" Pete concludes.

When Keller, dad, and Ben stole the painting that night and Ben thought he had left his passport, Keller shot him without second thought. Dad was mad and didn't want to leave Ben, but he didn't have a choice. Well he did, but that would have required him most likely getting arrested. Ben probably ended up in some morgue in Europe, and now has an empty grave in New York.

"I'm sorry" I say, the smile dropping from my face.

Pete shakes his head, "No, this is good. I can tell my grandparents that the man responsible for Ben's death is behind bars. He'll be charged for murdering that other guy and I know Peter will make sure he doesn't get out." He suddenly pulls me into a hug. "Thank you Callen."

I push back and look at him oddly. "I didn't do anything."

"Sure you did" he says smiling again, "It was your foster father who arrested him, and you just told me the good news so yeah."

"That doesn't require a thanks, but your welcome I guess" I say going to open my own locker, "I'm just glad that we can be done with that part of our lives now."

"Yeah, maybe things will cool off for a bit" he teased.

I shake my head, "Wishful thinking buddy. I guarantee that by the end of the week we'll have something new to deal with."

Knowing our track record, we probably would. I gathered up the rest of my things and we made our way to history. My arm is still casted, so Pete had to help me load up my backpack. As we were walking through the halls, I realized that people kept starting at me and whispering. I was wondering what all the commotion was about, like if I had something on my face when I realized that I did. I had an ugly looking black eye that was even grosser now that it was starting to heal.

Pete chuckled as we walked. "Forget you were MIA for the last month" he asked.

"Kind of" I answer as we step into the classroom. All the heads in the room suddenly turn to look at me, and I'm starting to feel like I was kidnapped by aliens. Mr. Raphael looks up from his desk at the sound of twenty freshmen going quiet.

"Ah Miss Caffery, I heard you would be returning to us today" he says looking at my arm.

Now, there are a few ways I could play this but I decide to go for the nonchalant one and place the stack of homework assignments I had to do on his desk.

"Yes" I say confidently, "And here's all the work I missed. When would you like me to make up the tests and quizzes?"

He studies me for a moment and then shrugs, "Today during lunch you could start."

"Great thanks" I say taking my seat next to Pete. He looks at me smugly. "What?" I say grinning.

"Callen Caffery coming back in style" he mocks and I punch him in the arm as best I can. He laughs and pulls out his notebook.

I do the same and look back up to find the class still staring at me, well specifically my eye. Morgan look somewhat shocked and I decide to enjoy it. I look him square in the eye. "What surprised the circus decided to return me. Yeah see, apparently I was too normal for them and they decided to look for someone else. Hey, you should try out; I bet they'd hire you on the spot."

With that I turn back to notebook leaving the obnoxious girl for once completely silent.

The rest of the week ticked by faster than I would have thought possible. But that was probably because I spent all my free time making up tests, quizzes, and projects. By Friday I was only half way there, but my teachers were all very shocked by my grades which were quite impressive if I do say so myself. The majority of my teachers were surprised to see me in class on Monday; Mrs. Venderson even gave me a hug which was super weird.

The kids were the interesting part though. All of them kept bugging me, asking which of their stories was true or just flat out staring. I ignored the majority of it, but I had still needed an explanation so we just went with the 'I was in witness protection' one. It seemed more reasonable than the aliens.

Since I had been doing well with catching up on my work, Peter had agreed to let me attend Luc's birthday party on Friday which I was super excited for.

So that's how Friday at five, I was waiting at the front door of June's in my Yankee's tee, jeans and coat, baseball mitt in hand and Peter's Yankee hat slapped on my head. Luc's mom was picking me up to take the five of us, Connor included, to the game against the Phillies that night. I was super excited since I still had yet to go to a game. Peter had given me a list of the player's names and stats, and I was already to go.

I noticed a car pull up, but it wasn't Luc's mom. It was that awful Agent Kimberly Rice here to pick up my dad who was assisting her in a kidnapping case tonight. I didn't actually know the woman, but Peter didn't like her and that was enough for me not to like her.

Luc's mom pulled up a few minutes later making me forget about Agent Rice and I climbed into the far backseat of the SUV right next to Pete. Connor was on his other side, and Abbey and Luc sat in the middle with both of Luc's parents up front. I handed Luc his present and he tore it open.

"A first edition Spiderman, awesome!" he said looking at his new present, "Thanks Call."

"You're Welcome Luc" I said clicking my seatbelt into place.

Pete nudged me in the shoulder and I looked up at him to see him smiling like a nut. I rolled my eyes and shoved him back. I was still insure about how to act around him, and because I had so much stuff to make up, had been able to avoid him all week. Now though we were going to a baseball game and I couldn't ignore him or else he would know something is up.

The five of us idly chattered on the ride there, talking about school and what I was missing on TV. It was normal, and I liked the normal after missing it for so long. When we got to the stadium Mr. Russell finds us a great parking spot in the garage, and we all get handed a ticket to go into the stadium. Once were in, I can't look around fast enough to catch all the wonderful things. Every sight, sound, and smell assaults me and I suddenly understand what Peter was saying that first day I came home with him about how Yankee Stadium was amazing.

First things first, I want to try the food.

It turns out I'm the only one who's never been, since Pete's grandpa had taken him before and Connor had gone with his dad when he was little and he was still alive. I think being there brought up some memories for Connor, as he was awfully quiet most of the night.

Pete had grabbed my hand and dragged me to a concession stand so I could try my first ball park hot dog. I had to slap him though when he grabbed my casted arm. He apologized but took my other hand and pulled me anyways.

Verdict, ballpark food is amazing. I don't care what Abbey says about it smelling funny. Once we all had some food, we made our way to our seats and waited for the game to start.

"So Callen" Mr. Russell says leaning back in his seat, "You've really never been to a baseball game before?"

"Nope" I answer popping the p.

"How come? It's an American tradition to take a kid to a ball game" he says saying basically the same thing that Peter had told me.

I shrug, "My dad's not really a sports guy. He'd rather study the works of Jackson Pollock then watch Babe Ruth hit a home run. Although he can copy the man's signature perfectly."

"Ain't that the truth" Pete said from where he was sitting next to me making the both of us laugh.

Mr. and Mrs. Russell seemed puzzled by that and I realized that neither of them really knew the situation I was in. Sure they knew that Peter and Elizabeth were my foster parents, and Luc had met dad a bunch of times, but neither of them had. I wondered if Luc had even told them I still talked to my dad.

"What do you mean by that?" Mrs. Russell asked interested.

I looked at Pete who shrugged, I had brought it up. "My dad is really good at forging things" I answered simply. Mr. Russell is after all a lawyer and it's incredibly possible that my dad may have gotten involved with his law firm somehow in the past.

Luckily the adults seem to accept the answer as the game finally starts. We rise for the National Anthem, and then the first pitch finally comes. We have really great seats on the upper deck that lets you see the entire diamond. It looks incredible.

The game goes by quickly but that might be because I'm so into it. It really is cooler actually being there than watching it on TV. Although, I do wish that Peter was here so we could talk about the game. I had gotten used to watching sports with him, before I got grounded, and it almost feels wrong that he's not here to experience my first Yankee's game with me.

I convince myself that it's okay though since this is only preseason. Me and Peter can go later. I backtrack after that thought, because did I really just feel bad that Peter wasn't here to experience my first major league game with me?

I'm going soft. Or nuts.

Probably the second one.

We spend part of the time watching the game, and part talking about anything we can come up with. Me and Abbey talk a lot about the Taylor Swift concert which is finally in three weeks. We've been waiting since I asked her back when I got the tickets for Christmas, and the fact that it's almost here is awesome.

By the time the game ends, with the Yankee's winning five to two, I have tried nachos, cotton candy, peanuts, and eating an ice cream sundae out of a tiny plastic baseball hat. Overall it was one of the most amazing things I have ever had the privilege of doing.

Luc's parents drop me back off at the Burke's last since it's close to their house, and I walk through the door with my head in the clouds after such an amazing night. I'm completely exhausted though and all I want to do is crash in my wonderfully warm bed.

When I get into the house though, I'm surprised to find Elizabeth sitting at the kitchen table by herself looking worried.

"Elizabeth?" I ask stepping closer.

"Callen sweetie" she says looking like she just heard me come in. She must have been really deep in thought. "Come sit down" she says motioning to the seat across from her.

I swallow and move slowly to the spot wondering what I could be in trouble for or why she would be acting so strange.

"What happened?" I ask cautiously hoping that it wasn't anything awful.

She smiles sadly at me which doesn't make me feel any better. "Sweetie" she begins, "Your dad was on a stakeout tonight and well it seems that he was taken."

"Taken?" I ask, my breathing starting to become faster, "He's wearing an anklet how does he just get taken?"

This is not good. Not good at all. Oh please tell me Peter knows where he is.

"Agent Rice apparently cut his anklet. The bureau has no idea where he is" she says sadly.

No idea where he is? That's not acceptable. They have to know where he is.

"You're saying he was kidnapped?" I ask for clarification.

Elizabeth nods, "That's what it seems."

I shake my head and try to calm my breathing which has now become erratic. Peter will find him. He will, right? He has to. If anyone can find my dad it's Peter. Then why am I so worried. Oh goodness, he's dead. What if he's dead? What if whoever took him decides to kill him? This is not good. Okay, just breathe. When did we paint the dining room black? Oh wait that's me. I don't feel so good.

…...

Oh, why is my head pounding?

I slowly open my eyes to find that I'm lying on the living room couch and that my head is killing me. Judging by how light it is outside, it's morning. I'm not sure what happened though since the last thing I remember is teasing Pete about his hat hair.

"Morning sweetie" Elizabeth says kneeling in front of me.

I slowly sit up and rub my forehead. "What happened?" I groan.

"You passed out" she says handing me some water and Tylenol.

I graciously accept it and try to remember what happened that made me react that badly. The last time I passed out was when dad was arrested the first time. But that wasn't, and then it hits me.

"Dad's been kidnapped" I say more alert than ever now.

Elizabeth stands up from the floor and moves to sit next to me on the couch. "Yes, and Peter is doing everything he can to get him back. He's been working all night, and he won't stop till he finds him. So stop worrying."

"Elizabeth, my dad was kidnapped I can't just stop worrying. He's going to do something stupid, he always does. What if he doesn't come back?" I say looking up at her.

She hugs me tightly and I let her. "Callen honey, Peter is going to find him I promise."

I take a deep breath. If anyone can find dad, it's Peter. He did after all catch him twice before. Yeah, Peter will find him and he'll be fine.

"Mom, I can't find my shoe" I hear Braden shout from the top of the stairs.

Elizabeth sighs, "Braden honey you have six pairs of shoes just pick a different one."

"But I want this one" my brother whines coming to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, "Jake's mom is taking us to the indoor skate park and I need my skate shoes."

"Alright buddy, let's see what we got" Elizabeth says standing as she squeezes my arm, "You going to be okay?"

I nod, "Yeah I'll be fine."

Elizabeth nods and follows Braden up the stairs to find the missing shoe. I still can't get over that my siblings are calling Peter and Elizabeth mom and dad. Well Braden is still calling Peter Peter, but the fact that he's started calling Elizabeth mom means he's officially accepted that he doesn't think Kate's coming back. I feel sorry for him really, because out of the four of us he's the only one that ever had a mom and now she's just gone. I have to say though that Elizabeth makes a pretty good replacement.

Once the two of them have gone upstairs, I lunge for the house phone and dial Peter's cell. It rings three times before he picks up.

"Peter what happened" I say before he can even get a word out.

"Callen?" Peter says confused, "Slow down kiddo."

"Peter please tell me you have a lead" I plead. I need to know that they at least have some idea as to where he is.

Peter sighs, "Kiddo I know you're worried, but we're going to find him."

"Then why do you sound worried" I ask starting to panic again. If Peter's worried than how am I supposed to stay calm?

I can almost see Peter pinching his nose. "We know who has him" he finally says, "It's not much, but it's a start okay?"

I nod and then realize he can't see me, "Yeah, okay. Just find him please."

"I will kiddo, I promise" he says as he hangs up.

I take a deep breath and then dial Pete's cell.

"Call what's up" he asks around what sounds like a mouthful of food.

"My dad's been kidnapped" I say skipping over the pleasantries.

I hear a cough and some sputtering on the other end. "Pete, you okay?"

"Yeah" he says after a moment, "Hold on I'll be there soon."

We hang up and I slide down the wall. When is this ever going to end? It seems like every time I turn around something bad is happening. Is it really too much to ask for one week of normalcy? Just one where I can pretend to be a regular high school freshman living with her completely normal happily married parents and younger siblings. Just one week.

I sit there on the floor while Braden leaves to hang out with his friend, and Gabby and Grayson go to their playdate. Elizabeth didn't tell them what was going on, so them getting out of the house was the best thing for them. Elizabeth goes around her normal routine, and I continue to sit on the floor until there's a knock on the door.

I jump up and fling the door open. Pete immediately pulls me into a hug. "Are you okay?" he asks walking in and closing the door behind him.

I nod, "Yeah fine, just wondering when I'm gonna get to be normal."

Pete laughs, "Call you're never going to be normal."

I smack him in the arm and step towards the kitchen deciding food is probably good. I'm still wearing my clothes from yesterday and smell like Yankee Stadium, I need a shower.

"Morning Pete" Elizabeth says from the kitchen table, "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Yes please" Pete says, "Callen made me leave mine this morning."

I roll my eyes as I toss him a cereal box and pull out some bowls and spoons. Pete comes into the kitchen to grab the milk and I shove him into it when I walk by. He shoots me daggers, but I just shrug and walk back into the dining room.

Elizabeth decides to make small talk with me and Pete to keep my mind off of things, so we talk about school and soccer and things me and Pete used to do as kids. I like reminiscing on some of the funnier schemes me and Pete concocted when we were really little. We were all laughing over the stories and for a while I forgot that my dad was missing.

"Wait, so you two actually broke into the apartment" Elizabeth asked eyeing us.

Pete shrugs, "We thought there was a ghost in there."

"How do two five year olds even know how to break into a door" the adult in the room asks.

"Uh have you met my dad?" I reply laughing, "I knew how to pick a lock before I knew how to walk."

Elizabeth laughs, "I believe it."

There's a knock on the door then and Elizabeth looks at it before standing to answer it. "Mozzie?"

Me and Pete exchange a glance and head to the front door. "Moz what are you doing here?" I ask.

"Apparently I'm needed" Mozzie said stepping inside the house and passing me a phone. It's a message for a Dante Haversham to join a vacation rewards club.

"It's a message from Neal" Pete says handing Mozzie the phone back.

"Yeah but what does it mean?" I ask glancing at our oldest family friend.

Elizabeth's already calling Peter. Me and Pete fall onto the couch as Mozzie paces in front of us. "Is Neal okay?" he asks, "Because I'm not getting a good feeling about this."

I exchange a glance with Pete and he shrugs. Elizabeth hangs up with Peter and turns back to us. "Mozzie, how about some tea? Call, Pete why don't you guys go do something. I know how about you go see a movie?"

I can tell she, or more likely Peter doesn't want either of us around when Peter gets here. I would much rather be here to know what's going on, but maybe it would be better if I stayed away. You know, to prevent panic attacks and whatnot.

"Okay" I say grabbing Pete's hand, "We'll be back later."

Pete looks confused, but I just yank him out the door and hail a cab, giving the driver the address of the theater. I ignore all my best friends' attempts to talk on the way to the theater, and half way there he gives up trying to ask. We end up watching Percy Jackson and the Olympians, because as much as Pete wants to I am not watching Shutter Island. I am not a fan of scary movies at all.

I wasn't actually paying attention to the movie though because Pete had decided to put his arm on the backrest of my seat and I was silently freaking out about it. I'm seriously beginning to wonder if he likes me too. But what do I do if he does? I know Elizabeth said it would just work itself out, but how is it supposed to do that exactly? We have to talk about it at some point, that much I'm sure of.

When the movie ends, we decide to go get a really late lunch from a burger place down the street and Pete insists on paying. This almost feels like a date.

"So did you decide what you want to do for your birthday yet?" Pete asks.

I give him a confused look before I remember that my birthday is indeed next Saturday. I'm going to be fifteen in a week. "No" I say, "It's not really important anyways."

"Oh not this again" Pete says sighing, "Call you're going to be fifteen, that is a big deal."

I shake my head. "Pete there are a thousand other things more important than me turning another year older."

"Like what" Pete says sternly.

"Uh, Kate for one" I remind him.

He shakes his head, "Not important."

"Pete" I start but he cuts me off.

"No. Callia Alexis Caffrey you haven't done anything for your birthday in four years. You are doing something next weekend and that's final."

I raise my eyebrows at him growing angry. "Did you just full name me?"

"So what if I did? What are you going to do about it?" he asks glaring at me.

His arms are crossed over his chest and he's leaning back in his chair, his face completely stoic. There's a tiny flicker of something in his brown eyes though, and suddenly I'm not mad at him anymore.

"Pete" I say, my voice significantly softer. I stop and swallow.

"I'm waiting Callen" he says tilting his head to the left side.

I take a deep breath to calm the butterflies in my stomach. This is it, just say it. Tell him you like him. Come on Call it's easy just do it.

"Pete, I…." But I never get to finish because my Pete's phone goes off.

It's sitting in the middle of the table and Peter's cell number is flashing across the screen as the phone vibrates on the table. I look at it and then Pete before lunging for it.

"Peter" I say hopefully.

Peter lets out a happy breath, and I can see him smiling. "We found him kiddo."

I smile real big and Pete gives me a questioning hopeful look. I nod and Pete smiles too.

"Thanks Peter" I say through my grin.

"You're Welcome kid" he says, "Meet me back at the FBI office we're heading there shortly."

"Okay, we'll be there" I tell him before hanging up.

Pete looks at me still smiling. I stand up and grab his hand, "Come on slow poke we got places to be."

It takes us at least a half hour to get there in New York traffic, and I'm growing irritated with the anticipation. We make it to the bureau and I dart to the elevators trying to use my mind to make them go faster. The floor I want finally lights up and I dart out of the elevator. When I get there I notice that Peter and my dad are standing on the platform discussing something and Peter looks incredibly serious. I wonder what it's about. Peter glances over to where me and Pete have stopped just inside the glass door and motions us over.

That's all the invitation I need as I bolt up the stairs and crash into my dad. "I'm glad you're okay" I say into his dress shirt.

He leans down to kiss the top of my head, "Me too megabyte."

I smile and hug him tighter, because knowing my track record this moment isn't going to last and we're all going to find ourselves in the middle of a new problem very soon.

I just hope I'm ready for it.


	36. Chapter 36

**Hey, so here is the final chapter! And the longest yet. Hope you like it and don't forget to review.**

**Only Callen, her siblings, and friends belong to me. :)**

* * *

><p>Chapter 36: When You Get What You Want, But Not What You Need<p>

As expected, things didn't slow down after we got dad back from being kidnapped by Ryan Wilkes and used as a front man. Less than three days later, things had picked up full speed and were heading so fast that even if they tried to veer from the path, it still would have resulted in the inevitable collision.

And that's exactly what happened.

On Tuesday I went over to dad's after school to find him and Mozzie sitting on the couch, the phone dangling between my dad's fingers, discussing whether or not a phone call was too cryptic. Now normally that wouldn't set off any warning bells considering what they do for a living, but when I asked them what they were talking about dad said it was nothing. He always tells me what he's up too, even when Peter tells him he's not supposed to.

That meant only one thing, this was about Kate.

I took my concerns to Peter and asked him if he knew what was going on. He said that dad had left him in the dark just as much as me, but Peter had a plan of his own.

I felt bad sneaking around dad, but I was worried about him and so was Peter. Plus I hate being left out of things and Peter gave me a way in. Wednesday night, I rode with Peter as we tailed dad. Yes it's incredibly creepy to be stalking your own father, but when I saw who he was meeting with being creepy was the last thing I was worried about. My dad had met with Fowler. Yeah, the same guy that put bugs in our house and threw dad in prison. Now I was certain this had to be about Kate. I think Peter knew it too.

We had a four day weekend at school because of some dumb teacher's convention, so I decided to spend the weekend with dad in order to spy on him. Wrong, I know but by that point I was too curious to worry about rights and wrongs. And Peter was encouraging it, so it couldn't have been that wrong, right?

Alex and Mozzie turned up sometime in the early morning. The two of them being here usually mean that dad's about to do something stupid. And low and behold, I'm right. But the real surprise was that dad made me leave when they showed up. Like actually leave the room. I was going to yell at him right then and there, tell him that I knew that this was about Kate and that he needed to fess up right now, but something stopped me. This weird feeling in my stomach told me it wasn't worth the fight. So I went to find June downstairs and pouted in the kitchen.

At some point Peter showed up and came into the kitchen. June excused herself but I knew exactly what she was doing. She was warning dad. That made me angry that even she knew what was going on when me, his own kid was clueless.

After everyone left, I marched upstairs to tell him as much.

"Hey dad" I say walking in the door, "We need to talk."

He sighs, "I know we do megabyte, but can we do this later."

"Nope. Because if this works out how you want it to, I'm betting that there won't be a later" I tell him flatly. I am done playing waiting games.

"Callen" he tries, but I cut him off.

"No. You are going to tell me what you're so keen on hiding right now. You're going to tell me why Fowler is here having secret meetings with you, and why you're having conversations with Mozzie that I'm no longer allowed to be a part of" I shout, "I want to know. This isn't just about you anymore. I have two little brothers and a little sister to look out for."

Dad drops into one of the kitchen chairs. I hadn't meant to yell at him, but I had and it felt oddly good. Feeling defeated or exhausted or just not in the mood to fight with his kid, dad motions for me to sit next to him. I take the offered seat and cross my arms waiting.

"I know where the music box is" he begins.

"Where?" I ask still glaring.

"It's in the Italian Consulate" he says avoiding my gaze.

I take a deep breath because I know what that means; I know exactly what that means. "Mozzie and Alex, they're going to help you steal it. Fowler, you still think he has Kate and that if you give him the music box he's going to give her to you" I finish for him.

He only nods.

"Well, I hope you get your happily ever after" I say before standing up to leave.

Dad stands up after me, "Wait where are you going? Don't you want to talk about it?"

He sounds really confused which I guess he should be because he's used to me arguing with him about, well everything. And normally I would, but for some reason I can't.

I want to tell him that leaving is a stupid idea. That he has a life here, that his kids are here, that Kate really doesn't love him and he needs to let this whole thing go. I want to tell him that he shouldn't risk going after this music box. I want to tell him that he needs to grow-up and live in the real world. But I can't because that would defeat the purpose of the one thing I do want.

"No. We don't need to talk about it dad. I know what getting that box means to you. I know what you're going to do, and I know that at the end of this, you are going to go off with Kate. I don't want you too, and you know that, but I won't talk you out of it. You know why?" I ask as he just looks at me, "It's because I love you more than anything else, and I want you to be happy. And if Kate makes you happy, I mean really happy, then I can't keep you from that. We'll be fine here. You don't have to worry about us. I'll watch out for them, they'll be fine. I promise."

"Call" he tries to cut in.

"Don't. It's okay. You want what's best for all of us, and you think that this is it. And maybe it is. You get to be with Kate. The twins get to grow up in a world where they can have normal childhoods with two loving parents and no worries about their real parent's safety. You know that you'll leave and they'll forget and Peter and Elizabeth will always have been their parents. They won't know any better. And Braden, maybe you're going to take him with. Maybe you should because he needs his parents, and he misses Kate. But you'll leave him here because it's safer and that's fine. He'll eventually understand and it will be okay" I force a smile to tell him it will be okay, but it comes out weak.

"We'll all be okay" I continue, "You and Kate can go someplace and you'll have this whole new and safe life. You can have that dream you talk about with the house and the dog and the kids being carted to soccer practices. Just not too many more kids, they're already way too many Caffrey's in this world. Just make sure they know how lucky they are that they have you as a dad. You really are the greatest dad in the world, even when things were bad you still made them great. I love you dad, that's the one thing that will never change. I want you to know that."

"Callen stop" he pleads taking a step closer, but I shake my head.

"I want you to go. I want you to be with Kate. I want you to be happy and I want you to remember that I love you and will never forget you. But you have to go. You're not happy here and I want you to get what you want."

I open up the door to the apartment, but stop to face him. He looks so broken and on the verge of tears, but it's what he wants and this is the best way. I knew all along he would pick her over us. Showing him that I'm okay with letting him go is the only way he can live with a free conscious and he deserves that. He kept me when my mom didn't want me. He could have left me in an orphanage somewhere. He could have quit at any time. He was a kid for Pete's sake. He never got to have a normal life, never got to even if he wanted to. He deserves this, deserves to start over with the girl he loves. He's in his early thirties; he can still have a whole life, a real one. He deserves this.

"Dad, I want this. Just promise me you won't waste this opportunity. Do something good. Okay?" I say knowing if I don't walk out now I'll never be able to. "I love you daddy. Don't ever forget that."

I don't give him the chance to respond as I close the door behind me and run. I run out of June's place faster than I've ever run before. I take off down the street and just keep running. I run until I'm at least two miles away from June's, somewhere my dad's radius doesn't touch, and then I keep running. I'm not even sure where to until I'm on the doorstep of Pete's grandparent's house. I probably look like a mess, my hair every which way, my cheeks red and puffy, and tear streaks down my face. I can barely breathe from both running, and the impending panic attack that's sure to come. I pound on the door with my fists and then cringe in pain when I remember that my left arm is casted and hurts. Pete thankfully pulls the door open and I fall into him no longer carrying about anything else.

That's the last thing I remember before I pass out.

….

I have no idea where I am, is the first thing I register when I wake up. I rub my eyes and try to sit up, but someone is pushing me back down.

"Callen it's okay kiddo just relax" I hear someone say.

Peter, it's Peter. I slowly open my eyes to find him leaning over me. He smiles down at me.

"You're okay kiddo" he says as he helps me sit up. I look around the room and realize that it's Pete's living room. I haven't been in here in ages. Pete is looming by the couch looking worried so I smile at him.

"What happened?" I ask slowly as Peter moves to sit on the couch next to me.

Pete clears his throat. "Well you showed up at my doorstep having an attack and screamed when I suggested calling your dad. I called Peter instead and he came over here."

I nod remembering my conversation with my dad. I look over at Peter who looks really concerned. I swallow and try to stand up, but my legs are wobbly and I just end up sitting back down.

"You okay kiddo?" Peter asks rubbing my shoulder.

I nod. "Can we go home?" I ask quietly.

Peter stands up, "Sure. I'll drive you back over to Neal's."

My eyes go wide and I shake my head so fast you'd think it would pop off. "No, I mean home home. Peter I want to go home."

Something of recognition crosses across Peter's face and he nods. "Yeah kiddo, we can go home." He doesn't even ask if I can get up, just picks me up and tells Pete that he'll have me call him later. Peter carries me to the car and then we drive off towards home. I stare out the window the entire time.

When we get home, I head up to my room and try to distract myself. I lock the door, grab my Hunger Games books and flop onto my bed and just read. I let the stories of a future world filled with way more hardships than mine take over my thoughts. When I'm about three-fourths of the way through the first one, I hear Satchmo whimpering at the door so I let him in before locking it again. Both Peter and Elizabeth make attempts to talk to me, but I ignore them and eventually they leave me alone.

It's seven thirty-eight when I finish the last page of Catching Fire. I realized that I missed dinner, but also that I'm not really hungry. I let Satchmo back out so he can eat and then leave my door open. I put the books back on my shelf and try to find something else to read. Nothing looks appealing right now though, so I find my Taylor Swift CD and put it in the CD player speakers that Elizabeth gave me so I could still listen to music while I was grounded, grab my soccer ball and sit on the floor by my bed tossing it at the wall.

I wasn't really thinking much, just trying to make the ball hit certain pictures on the wall in front of me and singing aimlessly to the lyrics of the songs. Most of the songs are those boyfriend/girlfriend ones so I'm just enjoying the music when the twelfth track starts. It's my favorite of all her songs even though it's not as well known, because it reminds me so much of me and my dad. The song, The Best Day, continues to play and suddenly I'm not throwing the ball or singing anymore, I'm crying. The lyrics are making me cry and it hurts because I'm never going to get another day with my dad. I want him to be happy, but I need him. Who's going to teach me things, or hold me when I cry? Who's going to make it better when the kids at school take the teasing too far?

I can't help the tears spilling down my face as I realize that those things are never going to happen again. Christmas traditions, pumpkin picking, bike rides, running around the park, going to the zoo, trying to have fun even with no money. It was sad when dad went to prison, but he was going to be out. In four years he was going to be back. This time, he's not coming back.

He's always been there, even when he wasn't. He was always so smart and had the answer to everything. He played whatever I wanted to, whether it was pirates or princesses, and never complained. He tried to teach me how to draw and said it looked good even when it didn't. He fixed everything and made it so much better. And Braden, that kid has always been better than me. He's always deserved more than I did and still does. To have his dad ripped away from him….I don't even know.

I cry silently until Elizabeth pokes her head into check on me and then rushes over when she sees the tears. She hugs me close and I hug her back tightly.

"Sweetie what's wrong?" she says as she rubs my back.

I can't tell her that dad's going to leave. I know Peter already knows that dad's going to leave. No one has to tell him that, he just knows. But I can't tell Elizabeth so I just cry.

She hugs me tighter and whispers that everything is going to be okay.

"Promise" I ask my voice, muffled by her shirt.

"Yes" she says pulling back to look at my face, "Callen honey, I promise that whatever this is, it's going to be okay. And if it's not, we'll get through it together. Okay?"

"Why?" I ask wiping my eyes, "Why is it going to be okay?"

"Oh honey" she says brushing my hair back, "Because you have us. Whatever it is, me and Peter are here to help. We love you sweetie, and you know Peter will move the world to make sure that you're okay. He might not ever say it, but he'll do anything for you kids."

"Would you ever adopt us?" I ask suddenly wanting to know how much they actually care. I know they do, but if dad leaves than I need to know we'll be okay.

"Of course" she says, "I don't know why we would, but if something ever happened to your dad we wouldn't just let them take you."

"Promise" I say finally getting my breathing under control.

She pulls me back into a hug and kisses the top of my head. "I promise, and Peter does too."

I smile slightly because Elizabeth is right. I may not have my dad anymore, but those days with him will always be special. And I'm not alone in the world, I still have two loving parents that will help me and my little siblings get through this. This is exactly what I want, right?

But that little voice inside my head is telling me that I will always need my dad. That I need to know where he is and what he's doing. I'll worry too much if I don't. The truth is, no matter what I am always going to need him.

I push the voice down and ignore it. Right now, being in Elizabeth's arms is the best place to be.

…...

Friday was not much better than Thursday. I spent the day at the Burke's house reading anything I could find in my room. By lunch time I had migrated to the living room and had resorted to reading Braden's Spiderman comics after I ran out of books to read. I was shocked though when Peter and Elizabeth burst through the door, Elizabeth with murder in her eyes. She was not at all happy. I silently mouthed to Peter asking what happened, and he just mouthed back Fowler before having his eyes dart to the stairs.

I got the message loud and clear and booked it up to the twin's room who were playing with Grayson's train set that he got for Christmas. Braden was at one of his friend's houses for the day, and I had been sort of babysitting the twins while the Burke's were at work. I played with the two of them for a little bit to make sure they stayed in their room. It was good to spend some time with them seeing as I hadn't in a while.

I heard the doorbell ring and looked out the window to see my dad standing on the front porch which only made me want to stay in the twin's room even more. I knew that tonight was when he was planning on stealing the box back which meant by tomorrow he would be gone and I wouldn't have to keep avoiding him. I'd said what I wanted to and that was that.

After dad left, Peter came up to see what we were up to and told me that Fowler had temporarily shut down Elizabeth's business, arrested her, and taken Peter's badge. Elizabeth was now out on bail and incredibly unhappy.

Peter took the three of us out for pizza that night.

When we came home, I was exhausted but couldn't sleep at all due to thinking about my dad and what he was doing right now. For his sake I hoped everything worked out okay, but secretly I was hoping something went wrong so that he wouldn't leave. It was wrong, but I couldn't help it.

Either way I only got a few hours of sleep. Which is why I am about to beat the crap out of whoever is poking me.

"It's way too early to be up" I say to the aggravator.

"It's already seven, you're wasting the day" I hear a voice from next to me say.

I sit bolt upright and find Pete smiling at me from where he's crouched on the floor. "Creeper much?" I ask rubbing my eyes, "And why on earth are you in my room?"

"Relax Ally Cat" he says standing up, Peter let me in, "Now hurry up and get dressed."

"Why?" I ask not moving.

Pete smiles and opens my closet door, "Because we've got a lot to do Ally Cat." He throws me a pair of dark wash jeans and a red Spiderman tee.

"Like what?" I ask again as he goes through my shoes.

He stops holding my blue converse in his hand. "You seriously don't know what today is do you?"

"Enlighten me Somerfield" I say unamused.

He grins and comes over to sit on the bed next to me. "Happy Birthday Ally Cat" he says giving me a hug that about squeezes all life out of me.

My eyes grow big in shock. I forgot my own birthday. Wow, I mean I knew I didn't want to celebrate it, but to actually forget it. Wow.

"Now hurry up" he says letting go and standing back up, "We've got places to go and people to see so let's move, move, move."

I roll my eyes, "Pete I'm not going anywhere."

"Yes you are" he says, "and don't make me have to drag you out in your pj's. If you're not ready in ten minutes, I will."

Deciding that I'd rather not test if he's serious or not I change into the clothes he threw at me and pull on my shoes. I tie my hair back and grab my wallet and black jacket before going downstairs to find Pete waiting for me. He grabs my hand and drags me outside where there are two bikes waiting.

"What's this" I ask still half asleep.

"It's called a bike Call" he says pointing to a black and purple one, "Get on."

"Uh Pete, I don't own a bike" I say as he climbs onto his red one.

He shrugs, "I know, Peter and Elizabeth got it for you. So Happy Birthday again I guess, now come on."

A bike. No one's bought me a bike since dad gave me one when I was nine. I have to thank the Burke's later for this. I'd do it now, but Pete looks about to explode if I don't hurry up. I climb onto the bike and follow him. We end up riding for a really long time, and I'm starting to wonder if his intention is to take me somewhere to murder me when finally stop.

"Tada" he says pointing towards a sign. Coney Island.

"Pete what are we doing here" I ask staring at the sign.

He parks his bike and pulls out a lock. "Remember when you were turning ten, and your dad promised us a trip to Coney Island?"

"Yeah I remember" I say still not moving.

"Well" he says motioning for me to climb off my bike, "I talked to the guy your dad knew and he said that today we could test out all the rides, just like your dad was going to let us do back then."

I don't know what to say. My tenth birthday was the last one I had been looking forward to, but with dad in prison it hadn't mattered anymore. And now with dad leaving today, having Pete fulfill his last promise kind of makes it that much more meaningful, even if dad isn't here to do it himself.

I tackle Pete in a hug. "Thank you Pete. This means a lot" I say hugging him tightly.

"I know it does Callen" he says before pulling back, "Now come on we've got roller coasters waiting for us."

He grabs my hand and I run with him into the park. There's so much to do, and barely any people there except for the machine operators and their families. I drag Pete onto every ride possible and we stuff our faces with all the carnival food imaginable. When were done with every ride, I make him go again.

We scream on the roller coasters and laugh until our sides hurt. Pete even wins me a giant monkey from one of those ring toss games. I have never had this much fun in my entire life. I'm smiling like an idiot, but I don't care. In fact, I don't have a care in the world right now. I can't remember the last time I was this happy. Me and Pete run around like maniacs until were too tired to do anything else.

"Hey let's go take a break by the beach" he suggests after we climb off the biggest coaster in the park for the fifth time.

"Sounds good to me" I reply as I follow after him.

We crash on the rocks by the beach and try to get our breathing under control. I turn to Pete and smile. "Thanks again Petey, this has been the beset birthday ever."

"I'm just glad you're having fun Call" he says smiling back.

We're facing eachother on the rocks and he's so close that I can feel him breathing. I swallow at the realization. He notices it too and takes a deep breath but doesn't move back.

"Hey Callen" he whispers.

"Yeah" I whisper back.

He takes another breath. "At the diner last week, before Peter called, you were going to say something. What was it?"

I take a deep breath of my own. We had avoided talking about it all week at school, but now it seems inevitable.

"I was, well it wasn't a big deal" I say too nervous to actually tell him.

He looks a little disappointed, "Well I think it was a big deal."

I blink and want to look away but can't. His deep brown eyes are staring directly into my blue ones, and I can't turn my head.

It's silent for a minute after that, and I'm sure he can hear my heart pounding in my chest. Finally he breaks the silence. "Hey Callen" he whispers again.

"Yeah" I say back.

"Can I tell you something?" he asks and I can only nod, not being able to remember how to talk. He takes a deep breath. "I think I'm in love with my best friend," he whispers, "And I think she's in love with me too."

I gulp not sure how to respond. In my head though I'm going 'Holy crap he likes you!'

Before I can think of anything logical to say he's kissing me. By this point, my brain has stopped working as I kiss him back. It's short and sweet just like a first kiss should be, but it tells us everything we wanted to know.

"Wow" he says pulling back.

"Yeah wow" I say having regained my voice, but not my vocabulary apparently.

"That was" he begins.

"Yeah" I say and then want to smack myself on the head.

We sit there silently for another minute, neither knowing what to say until finally Pete's face splits into and ear to ear grin.

"So how long have you liked me Caffery?" he says in that cocky voice of his.

I smack him in the arm and we both start laughing. When we stop, we're still smiling at eachother.

"So now what?" I ask wonder what exactly we're supposed to do next.

He looks like he's thinking before he opens his mouth. "Well, we both know that I like you and I think it's clear you like me to. And if that kiss was anything to go by then we can both agree that it felt right."

"Agreed" I say nodding, "But I don't want this to ruin our friendship. That's why I didn't say anything before. You're my best friend Pete, I can't lose you."

"And you won't" he says grabbing my un-casted hand. "Look Call, our friendship means more to me than anything else, but I feel like we're more than that. I want to be able to hold your hand and kiss you randomly. I think we can make this work, and I promise you're still my best friend. Forever and Always Ally Cat."

I smile at him. "Then I think I want to try this" I say like I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life.

His smile gets even bigger, "Then Callia Alexis Caffrey, will you be my girlfriend?"

"Only if you promise to never call me Callia again" I laugh.

"Deal" he says scooting closer.

He leans in and gives another kiss, just as sweet as the last. "Happy Birthday Callen" he says when he pulls back.

All I can think is that this is the best day ever.

….

When we make it back home, it's after six-thirty. The two of us are smiling so big and laughing so much that we don't even care though. We drop our bikes in the drive way and race eachother to the porch. Pete grabs my hand and pushes the door open. It's dark in the entire house which is really odd because it's dinner time.

"That's weird" I say flipping on the lights.

"SURPRISE!" everyone shouts as they jump out of hiding places.

I scream and back up into Pete who wraps his arms around me. I take a deep breath and look around the room as Elizabeth comes over.

"Surprised sweetie?" she says smiling as Pete lets go.

"A little" I laugh, "Wow this is incredible."

"Happy Birthday Callen" Abbey and Luc shout as they smash me into a sandwiched hug. I laugh and hug them back.

Looking around the room, I see all the girls from my school soccer team, the kids from my rec team, a few other kids from school I've gotten to know, Gabby, Grayson, Braden, June, her granddaughter Samantha, Conner, and even Jones showed up. I notice vaguely that Peter isn't there. Dad and Mozzie aren't either, but I wasn't expecting them anyway. Where was Peter though?

I work my way around the room saying hi to everyone. Abbey tells me that she had such a hard time keeping this a secret and I believe it. She did a good job though because I was seriously surprised. Me, Abbs, Luc and Pete go find a place to sit down and talk. Connor comes over to join us and I tell them about me and Pete. Abbey about explodes when she finds out the news. She's hugging me to the point where I can't breathe and Luc actually has to pry her off me.

The party itself is amazing. Elizabeth, being the awesome planner that she is, literally thought of everything. There are games and pizza and lots of snacks and drinks. Braden decided to make himself DJ and picked out some great music that everyone was dancing too. I even got a few presents from our closer friends.

Abbey got me two cute tops, Luc gave me some new headphones, and Braden saved up his allowance and got me Sherlock Holmes on DVD which is crazy because it just came out like yesterday. Gabby and Grayson drew me some very cute pictures and June gave me a new pair of earrings. Elizabeth and Peter obviously got me my bike and I hugged Elizabeth thank you the first opportunity I got, but that got me again wondering where Peter was.

After a while, Elizabeth turned off the lights and brought out the cake. It was a chocolate cake with Oreo's crushed on top of it and drizzled with chocolate syrup. And it was amazing. I wished for everything to stay exactly the way that it was. It wasn't perfect, but for all that had happened in my life, right now being surrounded by all my friends and the people who love me, even if three were absent, I think my life is pretty good. And we could all really use a little less drama.

I blew out the candles and cut the cake. After we ate, people started to head out. Eventually all that was left was my four best friends, June, Samantha, and Jones. Peter never did show up and I was starting to wonder if he was okay.

I fell onto the couch completely exhausted and Pete flopped down next to me wrapping his arm around me. Luc and Conner dropped onto the floor and Abbey took the chair across from us. Braden, Samantha, Gabby, and Grays were playing Monopoly Jr. on the floor between the living room and dining room, and June, Jones, and Elizabeth were talking in the latter room.

"So that was an exciting party" Abbey says leaning back in her chair.

"Not quite as good as the one we threw at the beginning of the year" Luc says to which he then gets a pillow in his face. "What?" he says looking at me.

"Shhh" I say glaring at him and then glancing to the adults who didn't seem to hear anything. The last thing I need is to be grounded for the summer too.

"It was an excellent birthday party" Pete says kissing the top of my head.

"It was an awesome birthday" I say smiling, "Thanks again guys for making it great."

"No probs Call" Luc says lying down on the floor using the pillow I threw at him as a head rest.

We all take a minute to close our eyes, since were completely worn out. I rest my head on Pete's chest and am probably about to fall asleep when his phone goes off.

"Sorry" he says as I sit up so he can pull it out of his pocket. He glances at the screen. "That's weird, it's Peter" he says holding it up to his ear, "Hello?"

We all watch as Pete's face turns into confusion and then shock and, grief?

"Um yeah, I can do that" he says after a moment and then he passes the phone to me with big sad brown eyes.

"Hey Peter, where are you?" I ask as I watch Pete stand up and whisper something to Luc.

"Callen kiddo, I have to tell you something but I need you to stay calm and breath okay?" he asks.

I watch Conner and Abbey stand up and walk over by the little kids. "Peter I already know he left" I say calmly, "It's okay."

It feels like a slow motion movie as Luc goes over to the adults and says something to the three of them. Connor and Abbey are asking the twins and Samantha something and Pete is making Braden look at him.

"Callen it's something other than that" Peter says sadly. I can hear sirens in the background and am starting to wonder what is going on.

Abbey and Connor are each carrying a twin upstairs with Samantha close behind. I watch as Elizabeth's face goes white and she covers her mouth. Jones is standing up to go towards the door and June is looking at Braden like she just saw a ghost.

"What's happened Peter?" I ask slowly. Pete's talking really slow to Braden making sure he focuses on every word.

"The jet, it exploded" Peter says calmly.

"The what?" I ask again already thinking the worst.

There's a silence form the other end of the phone. "Callen, the plane your dad and Kate were using to leave on. It blew up."

Now it's my turn to clamp my hand over my mouth. Please let dad be okay, please let dad be okay. "Peter" I finally squeak out, "Where's my dad?"

"They're taking him to the hospital; he's just in shock is all. He's fine" Peter says, but the way he says it makes it sound like there's more.

Elizabeth is kneeling besides Braden now. June still looks like she's seen a ghost and Jones has run out of the house.

"What aren't you saying Peter" I say as I watch more than hear Braden scream as he lunges at Pete and starts hitting him.

My brother is crying and screaming and fighting. Pete's trying to hold him still and Elizabeth's mouth is moving like she's trying to calm him. All I can see though is the pain on my eight year old brother's face. He's crying into Pete's shirt now and shaking his head like a mad man. Pete glances back at me and I know before the words even leave Peter's mouth what happened.

"Callen, Kate's dead."

* * *

><p><strong>So sadly, that was the end to this story. I really enjoyed writting it though. I just want to thank everyone who read, reviewed, and favorited this story. It means a lotto me that you guys liked this since this was the first thing that I've ever actually written. I gave me a lot of confidence, so thank you. <strong>

**As for a continuation of this story, I am thinking about doing a sequel. I have yet to decide though if it will become a sequel that picks up right after this one, like season two, maybe a little bit later, or if I'm just going to do a collection of one shots and short stories that would go in order and tie into the second, third, and fourth season. I do know that I want to do something though as I really like writing Callen and her friends adventures. I would really like to know what your thoughts are on that as it would help with the decision. **

**I'd also like to note that another author, Nicole Catser, has decided to write their own story involving my characters. Though I didn't exactly give permission for my characters, plot lines and whatnot to be used, I am honored that the author liked my story and characters enough to write their own. Aside from that, I'm not quite sure how exactly I feel about this yet. You should check it out if you want to though.**

**Anyways, thanks again for reading and don't forget to let me know which continuation story you'd like. Oh and please review. :) **

**~hockeybean87 **


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